A Darker World
by Small Fox
Summary: Danzo has seized power. He rules by terror and Naruto has become one of his victims. He is sent to the House, a terrible place. Having escaped and now under the tutelage of Jiraiya he still struggles to find his place. Read note!
1. A House Not a Home

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters and gain nothing by writing this.

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The following story contains references to and an act of child prostitution. fortunately the characters escape from the situation in the chapters escaped. The center focus of the story is about love and friendship. If you're reading this story for the mature content on you will be disappointed. This story is more about healing than anything else and with that in mind I hope you enjoy it. If you wish to skip the act referenced above skip to chapter four and for those of you who read the first three chapters keep in mind that I can't do anything too bad to Konohamaru. It just goes against my nature.

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Kaede poured herself another drink and wondered how she ended up here, in charge of a house of prostitution. She had been born in Konohagakure to two ninja parents. By the age of nine she was an orphan and had gone to live with her grandfather on her mother's side. Her grandfather had been a civilian and ran several small businesses within Konoha. At his side, she had received an education in business. Being quick and bright she had learned much.

When she was ten, she had been looking over her grandfather's shoulder as he reviewed an account book. She had quickly added up a column of figures in her head and noticed an error before he had. Never had a merchant been so pleased to find that one of his employees was stealing from him.

In hindsight it was clear that he wanted her to take over the business from him, and given where she was now, she wish she had. Instead she had been fixated on following in her parent's footsteps. Her grandfather had always been kind to her though and had never pressured her to follow his path instead.

Kaede had graduated from the Academy at the top of her class academically, but only had average skills in the other parts of her chosen profession. Her Genin team had operated together for several months before having the dubious honor of being in the first battle of the Third Great War. A grimace devoid of even a hint of humor crossed her face. Battle, it had been a slaughter. One of her teammates had been killed in the initial ambush and her sensei had died covering her and her teammates retreat.

During the war she had honed her skills while pursuing a private vendetta to avenge her fallen comrades. Then, when the war had turned their way, she had been betrayed. The Third Hokage had settled for peace when they could've had absolute victory. She had become so bitter about that decision that her relationship with her one teammate, which had turned romantic, fell apart.

Heartbroken and bitter, she had eventually been recruited by the ANBU. Her skills had never become better than average, but her mind made her very dangerous to her opponents. Time went on until the day the Kyuubi attacked. Even now she could remember her terror. She had been one of the first to see it and like anyone else could do nothing but try to buy time.

In the aftermath of the battle, she had been exhausted and it was then when she met Danzo. Upon a fallen tree the two had talked, and for the first time, she found someone who truly sympathized with her point of view. By the end of their long conversation she had joined his organization, sort of.

She was never officially a member because what he wanted her to do required her to have no apparent ties to him. She quit the ANBU and became a bureaucrat in the village's hierarchy. Here, she moved swiftly up the ranks because of her innate skill with dealing with the minutia of paperwork and a little surreptitious help from Danzo.

Eventually she had been in a position to help Danzo and his organization. It was small things at first. She would see to it that certain ninjas were offered certain missions. Sometimes, she would see to it that a mission was given more time than was needed and so a secondary mission could be carried out without anyone being the wiser. Then Danzo, through one of his intermediaries, requested that she miss place some orphans so they could receive necessary training. Reluctantly, she had done so recognizing the need.

At some point during all of this, her grandfather died and she threw herself into her work even further. Eight years passed like this, and that was when she learned of the pending coup d'état. Perhaps if the Third had not been in charge she would've blown the whistle on it when she learned about it. However, she still held a grudge against the old man, and when asked to make sure that several ninjas would be assigned missions far away from the village, she did so.

The coup was quick and relatively bloodless and that was largely due to her interventions. There were several Jonin that, if they had been in the village, could've turned the coup into a bloodbath for both sides. As it was, less than a dozen people were killed. The Third had been among the casualties, as was most of his family along with some unlucky guards.

Her machinations had been a key factor in the coup success, but so had the Hyuga branch family support. It seems for lending the use of some of their members during the coup, the head of the family was eliminated along with his wife. A mutual beneficial arrangement if there ever had been one.

She finished her drink and poured herself another one remembering that things started to go wrong for her only a few days after Danzo had seized power. She had been called into the Hokage's office and had been assigned her first mission since she was seventeen. Her orders were to take four children out of the village and stay hidden until receiving further instructions.

Upon learning who her charges were, it was simple enough to figure out Danzo's reasoning. The first two were the daughters of the recently deceased Hyuga head. Apparently Danzo was willing enough to allow the Hyuga branch family their freedom, but was not willing to throw away the only two that could still activate the seal on its members. The third member of the quartet was Konohamaru Sarutobi. It was feared that, despite his age, he might become a focal point for those unsatisfied with Danzo's self-promotion. The fourth member was Naruto Uzumaki. He was a double threat. Apparently he was the son of one of the most beloved leaders the village had ever known, he also contained the Kyubi. If he fell into the wrong hands he could become very dangerous.

It had been a distinctly unhappy group that left the village that day. None of them really understood what was going on and most of them had just lost their families. The first few days were the most difficult as they traveled to a safe house located outside of a large village and settled in to wait.

She had never been good with children and all four of them seemed to take a dislike to her which she didn't mind. For a month she watched them passively, not really having any clear direction. In her mind she would play out different scenarios and the fate of each child.

It was clear that Naruto could never become a weapon like so many of his kind. He was too compassionate to the others and seemed to have quite happily stepped into the role of big brother for the group. If they wanted something, he would be the one to ask her. Konohamaru came from a prestigious clan, but she doubted that he would have much longer to live. When someone lost their grandfather and both of their parents it didn't exactly bread loyalty to the perpetrator. The two girls would probably be fine as they were still young enough to forget that their father had been the head of the clan. After all, they only had the potential to activate the seal, but not the knowledge.

On an unusually cold rainy morning, a bird delivered orders that would change her life and that of her charges. She was to find an unsavory house of prostitution that provided its clients with young prostitutes and rent out the four with her in exchange for learning the business. The orders were shocking, but what could she do? It was not her place to question a superior, but for the first time in her life she didn't carry out her orders enthusiastically or to the letter.

It was surprisingly easy to find such a place. Prostitution is legal within the Fire country and poorly regulated. She brokered a deal with the owner easily enough, although, she only offered the older two and on condition that they didn't immediately start taking on clients. For two weeks she learned the business while teaching the older two techniques that were normally used when one was being interrogated. There were many ways one could trick the mind into believing that it wasn't where it was or that pain didn't exist.

Unfortunately, they were young and time was short. The first time they actually took on a client she got drunk for the first time in her life. It wasn't so much she had bonded with her charges, but at that moment, she had not seen the point in what had seemed to be an exercise in cruelty. A week later, orders came that made everything clear.

The situation back in Konoha was not going well. There had been an assassination attempt on Danzo and he was pulling his loyal followers from active duty to be used as bodyguards. In addition to that, many ninjas loyal to the Third had never returned upon learning of the coup. The internal strife was causing some other hidden villages to probe for weaknesses. There needed to be a crackdown on dissent and fast.

A ninja accepted death and thus did not fear it. In the back of a ninja's mind, though, was the knowledge that if anything ever happened to them, their family would be taken care of. It was a fact so ingrained in the ninja culture that it didn't even have to be spoken. So if Danzo couldn't stop an assassin that didn't care if they lived or died he could go after their families. Killing them would be far too easy and might have the effect of creating martyrs. Jailing the adult, though, and turning their children into prostitutes, was far more devastating.

And that was how and why Kaede, a once proud kunoichi from Konoha, came to be here. She put all of her effort into it. Not so much because she wanted to succeed, but she sought to protect her charges. Her den of inequity would not become a simple roadside whorehouse, where they would be used, abused and then discarded. Instead, it was going to be a high-class place, one that cater to high-class clients or at least rich ones.

With the Ryo she had been given as a nest egg, she bought an old estate and had it fixed up. By the time the repair work was complete, she had received an additional fifteen children whose parents had been among Danzo's enemies. In theory, she understood what he was doing. A hidden village needed stability above all else and that was something the Third had been failing to provide. The Uchiha massacre had proven that, but being on this end, well, it was hard on her. Perhaps it was belated maternal instincts, but she was determined to do what she could for these children.

Looking back on her actions, she couldn't quite pinpoint when exactly she had made that decision. Certainly, by aiming for high-class clients, she limited how many there would be. The place which she had never given a name to was probably one of the most expensive brothels within the country. It wasn't much of a success at first, but she was able to persuade Danzo to put pressure on the Fire daimyo, to put pressure on other brothels not to have anyone under eighteen. So when other brothels started to be rated and shut down, hers became known as one that had special protection.

Within six months business was booming and she branched out into other services. She invested in a photographer, a small hotel and even a restaurant within the brothel. People came and spent. It became an experience and she capitalized on this. She instituted a system where the more Ryo a particular child brought in the more points they would receive. These points could then be exchanged for anything form candy bars to time off. The system was a success in two aspects. It increased revenues and it gave the children some sense of power.

Time went on, and even though she received a few more children, the internal strife seem to have calmed down. Her place was now bringing in enough Ryo that it was actually having a benefit to Konoha. They were able to undercut other village's mission's fees and could be more selective in the ones they accepted. She received a few more children, but some of these were just orphans that showed little potential in becoming ninjas. That fact made her drink more as they weren't even guilty by association, but she said nothing.

Now, after three years, the business ran smoothly and her liver was close to being ruined. Most of the children only took clients three days a week and she even had a Medical Nin on constant standby to keep them healthy. She wouldn't say that they were happy here, but if this assignment had been given to anyone else, she doubted things would've turned out like this. If she wanted to she could work them harder, but she refused to do that. As for oversight, as long as she kept the Ryo flowing to the village nobody asked her questions.

There was a knock at her office door that caused her to jump in her chair. She immediately berated herself before opening a drawer and placing her glass and bottle inside. "Come in."

The door swung open to reveal a pretty young woman who was one of her employees. Kaede had hired her two years ago to deal with the clients on a day-to-day basis. It had always surprised her that this woman, who seemed so normal, had never raised any qualms about what she had been hired to do.

"There's a situation I need to bring to your attention."

"Throw him out," she answered without waiting for an explanation. Her brothel had rules and when someone broke them they were thrown out. Losing a client wasn't exactly a big deal.

"It's not that," the woman said quietly. "He's requested a certain person."

Kaede blinked, wondering if the alcohol was clouding her mind already. Most clients either requested a particular person or at least a type. "So?" She allowed irritation to slip into her tone.

"He's requesting Konohamaru and he is offering a very large sum."

That brought her up short. Konohamaru was still the youngest boy in her care and he was also the only one who had never taken on a client. Naruto had always seen to it that he had enough points to buy Konohamaru out of that particular duty. It required him to work harder than anyone else, and even with his almost inexhaustible energy and amazing healing ability, it wasn't easy on him. There was a time she had wondered why he did it, but she suspected the answer was simple. He was protecting a friend.

There was a part of her that just wanted to say, tell him he's busy today or simply that the kid was off-limits, but she was curious. "Show him in, I'll deal with it."

She bowed her head in respect and disappeared. A moment later the door opened again, but this time a short man was there.

Kaede eyed him up and down almost amused. Not many of the clients looked like creeps, but this guy looked like he was a sleaze ball. He was not only short, but fat and he carried a cane, although, as he stepped in the room he didn't seem to need it. Still, despite his receding hairline and his sunglasses that doubtlessly hid beety eyes, there was an air about him. This man was used to getting what he wanted. When he spoke, she understood why he carried that air.

"My name is Gato."

There were not many men that could introduce themselves with one name and be expected to be recognized, but Gato was one of them. Describing him as rich was an understatement. He was easily placed in the top ten wealthiest individuals on the continent and the only one in the group that was completely self-made. There were some who would look up to him, but rumors swirled around him and she tended to believe them. When she had been a bureaucrat, she had read a report that stated he had never hired a ninja from any of the villages, but given the number of dead bodies that seem to pile up around him, it was generally assumed he used rogue ninjas.

Still, her grandfathers training kicked in, and instead of standing to greet him to show they were equals, she leaned back in her chair and gestured for him to take a seat. To do so, he had to pull a chair close to the desk. Even if he had been a tall man, her chair would've placed her higher than him.

As soon as he sat down she spoke setting the agenda for the meeting. "The particular person you're interested in is not for rent."

Gato smiled, revealing that he did have a charming side. "Madam, in my experience there are very few things that are not for sale. I checked the registry and you have another little boy named Kouji. They're both eight years old." He paused and shifted his weight, "I understand your concern, but my tastes aren't anything out of the ordinary and I'm sure any waiting period can be waived for a night and one million Ryo."

She had fully intended to say, 'well then rent Kouji,' but the sum that had just been offered was about what this place took in a good month. It was truly staggering and it must've shown on her face, because the man's smile changed. Irritated with her loss of control she said, "That's a very large sum Sir. You could have several others for ten times that length of time if you wished to spend that much."

"The sole purpose of accumulating wealth is to be able to gain anything you want and I want that boy."

Kaede wanted to say no. Over time, she had developed a certain respect for Naruto. There weren't many eleven year olds who would go to the length he had to protect Konohamaru, even allowing for recent revelations, but it was a very large sum. It didn't occur to her that she could pocket it without anyone being the wiser, but instead she thought that with that large of a sum she could close this place for two weeks and give everyone a rest. Wasn't that worth it?

Instead of trying to find a way to get rid of this man she thought about Naruto. How would he react to this news? She couldn't imagine the blonde taking it well, so she would have to find some way to neutralize him. That only left how, and surprisingly it was easy enough. Like many old estate, this one had come with a small prison. It wasn't anything fancy, but it was in the basement. They had never remodeled down there, instead just using the area for storage. Yes, she could easily trick him down there and that only left Konohamaru which would be even easier.

Gato knew he had one. She could read it on his face, but she did have a few parting shots. "Even with that sum, the standard rules would apply and I would need payment upfront."

"Of course," Gato said congenially. "I'll tell one of my guards to retrieve that sum from my room."

He traveled with that much on him, she thought. This man was truly disgusting.


	2. A Day in the Life of Naruto

Authors note: review response to Nameless Fan. I really don't like the whole seme/uke thing. Having said that I will say that their relationship will change as their situation changes.

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Naruto's mouth was sore as it moved along an erection with a practiced ease no one his age should possess. A hand rested on his head, stroking his hair back and Naruto used this as an excuse to pull back a little and look up at the old man who had paid for an hour with him. The old man didn't push his head forward nor did he grab Naruto's hair, that was enough to keep the old guy on the good client list in his opinion.

Grandpa, as he liked to be called, was somewhat of a regular. The house where Naruto worked was far too expensive to have anything like weekly visits from anyone, but in the last four months this guy had visited three times. Usually he would rent two or three children, boys and girls whom Naruto knew weren't cheap and he had always been among those chosen. Up until now Grandpa had been content with just watching a private show, occasionally giving some perverted instruction, this time though he had only requested Naruto. The young blonde didn't know what to expect, but if the guy wanted to pay for a full hour just to grope him and get a blow job that was fine with him. Naruto got points for just having a room rented and not what happened inside.

The man's breathing changed and Naruto redoubled his efforts. Ordinarily, he would pull back and try to make it last longer, but today was not an ordinary day. The little blonde boy had a big show to put on and wanted as much time as he could to prepare or more precisely prepare his partner. Naruto ran his tongue around the head of grandpa's penis, causing the old man to moan, a moment later Naruto tasted the first jet of liquid as it hit the roof of his mouth, quickly followed by another. The man moaned again. Naruto felt the old man stroke his blonde hair, lost in the sensations the boy's mouth gave him.

The young boy allowed the organ to fall out of his mouth and the man looked down at him with a smile. His hand slid down to Naruto's cheek and gave it a friendly pat as he said, "Good boy. Very good boy, you deserve the candy bar." With that the old man yawned and rolled naked onto the bed covering himself with the sheets.

Naruto didn't move at first, but after a moment he leaned forward and used a part of the now loosed sheet to wipe the junk out of his mouth. He could've swallowed easily enough and most clients like to see that, but given a choice he wouldn't. From past experience he knew Grandpa was out like a log after one climax. Even though he was technically rented for the next ten minutes Naruto didn't have a problem leaving early today. His client was going to sleep until someone woke him to change the sheets.

With practiced ease the young boy gathered his clothes which merely consisted of baggy shorts and an oversized T-shirt. The last thing he did before leaving the room was grab the candy bar that had been left on the nightstand. He did all this without once looking at the occupant of the bed.

Stepping out into the hallway, Naruto paused as he heard an all-too-familiar sound at the far end of it. The hallway had six rooms on both sides of it and the far end had a little sitting area. From the corner of his eye he could see it was currently occupied by an overweight woman who was fondling a nude girl his age named Ami. Exhibitionists were annoying and out of respect for Ami and not the woman he turned his back on them. He turned the wheel next to the door from red to yellow to signify that the room needed cleaning. Although no one would get around to it for at least an hour, it was a slow day after all.

Then Naruto smiled for real, as he realized, that he would have the time for a shower before having to put on his show. Sprinting down the hallway he turned and bounded up the single narrow stairway that connected all of the floors.

The fourth floor was the only place the clients never went and was Naruto's sanctuary along with the other twenty-nine children at the House. It was a place they could sleep and even hang out in peace. There was a small shower room attached to the dorm area and even a playroom.

Reaching the top of the stairs he entered the dorm room which consisted of rows of beds stacked three on top of each other and five deep. They were built into the walls and each one had a curtain that could slide across for privacy. Thinking about washing off the invisible paw prints left on his body by the old man, he didn't notice that one of the curtains was closed until it slid open.

"Naruto," a voice questioned as he blew by.

"Sakura," he answered surprised. "I thought you just started a honeymoon?"

The curtain slid aside. "I was, but he got called away on some urgent business thing." She made a face, "Not that I'm complaining, he was a jerk. Liked anal, but didn't use a lot of lube."

The blonde winced in sympathy as he sidled up to her bed and placed his elbows on the frame. "Have you seen Mitate? Do you want me to get him?" Mitate was the one adult that nobody minded seeing. He was a medical-nin and could always be counted on to take pain away. The man also tended to give them more time to recover than they sometimes needed.

"Thanks, but I already did. He gave me some pills and two days off." She smiled and he smiled back.

Stepping on the outer portion of the lower bed, Naruto felt the candy bar he had just been given. He thought for a second, Sakura liked chocolate and even though she was smiling he could tell that the pill had not taken effect yet. Pulling the bar of chocolate out of his pocket he asked, "Want half?"

She hesitated for a second and asked, "Did you trade in your points for that?"

"No, my last client gave it to me. He always gives one to everyone."

Her eyes were fixated on the bar and she said, "Well if you didn't buy it. Sure."

The chocolate bar consisted of four rows, it was easy to break and he gave her half. Her eyes lit up as she bit into it and that was enough to make Naruto smile. Hopping down he headed for the sink in the corner where there was always mouthwash. In the reflection of the mirror he saw Sakura slip out of her bed slowly and carefully and start towards him.

"So, it's Konohamaru's big day," she said standing behind him.

Naruto winced at that comment. Konohamaru was supposed to be his partner in a sex show today and it was to be his first. Konohamaru didn't serve clients like everyone else. That was solely due to Naruto's intervention. It took a lot of work, but between the two of them they earned enough points every week so they could buy Konohamaru out of that duty and still have a little left over. It wasn't like the boy didn't work though. He worked as a waiter, cleaned, did photo shoots and videos like everyone else.

Up until about two weeks ago everyone thought Konohamaru was still a virgin and until two months ago he had been. However, Konohamaru and he had started messing around at the younger boy's insistence. Two weeks ago they had been caught in the act and now the matron had informed them that Konohamaru would be doing shows. The only solace the blonde could take was the fact that he had at least been able to argue that only he would do anything with Konohamaru. The two had already produced a video and photos of course, but today was going to be a live performance.

"Yeah, I guess," he said dejectedly.

"I think it's sweet. I mean everyone knows you care about him and it must've been nice that you were his first. I wish mine had been that way." Naruto grunted uncomfortable and embarrassed. "It's a good thing you know," Sakura continued, "That he'll be servicing clients now."

Slamming the cup down, Naruto spun on her and growled, "He's not doing that."

She blinked at him her large green eyes uncomprehending, "But isn't that what this is all about?"

"No," Naruto said louder than he had to. "He's not doing that, ever!"

Her expression flickered from surprise to sympathy and she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Naruto, listen. I know you care about Konohamaru and I think it's great what you've done for him, but it's time he joins us-"

Before Sakura could finish what she was saying, Naruto shoved her hard. She stumbled backwards and fell on her butt. She let out a yelp of pain and surprise. Naruto's anger immediately turned to guilt as he remembered why she had been in bed. "Sakura, I'm sorry."

He tried to help her up, but she swatted his hand away and turned a hostile glare on him. "You know, it's not like any of us like it here and it doesn't help having some little prince prance around picking and choosing what he does. If you really cared about him, you would let him become like the rest of us, because if you haven't noticed your his only real friend." With that said she climb to her feet and walked away with a little bit of a limp.

Naruto watched Sakura climb back into her bed not sure what he should think. He thought about last night, when Lee, Kiba, Konohamaru and himself had been playing a card game. They had been having fun, like friends so Sakura had to be wrong. However, now that he thought about it, he couldn't remember ever seeing Konohamaru with someone else unless he was there with him. Naruto shook his head to dispel the thought. This was silly, who couldn't like Konohamaru?

Naruto suddenly didn't feel like taking a shower anymore. He stood there for a moment before making his way back to Sakura's bed. The sheet was drawn again and that was as good as a shut door. Hesitating for a second the blonde eventually said, "I'm sorry I pushed you, but," he trailed off unable to express what he wanted to say. "I'm just sorry."

Only silence came from behind the curtain and after a moment he left. He made his way downstairs to the dressing room on the first floor, where the house kept various outfits for the children to wear when they were working. Sometimes customers requested a certain look and if they were willing to pay just about anything could be provided. More often though the outfits were meant to be worn on stage during the live entertainment or when they were waiting on the tables in the restaurant area.

The room was sometimes packed, but right now it was completely silent and Naruto thought he might have beaten Konohamaru here. Then he noticed the boy in question leaning on a windowsill staring outside. The smaller boy was wearing the outfit for waiters that day, which simply consisted of a fundoshi and a pair of straw sandals. The fundoshi didn't cover much. It was a thin piece of cloth that wrapped around his waist that then was tucked between his butt cheeks that spread out to cover his crotch. Other than those two articles he wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing and in the rays of the sunset Naruto's breath was taken away.

The blonde stared at the younger boy for a second, but then Konohamaru turned and saw him and with a smile said, "Hey Naruto."

The older boy snapped out of his trance and walked up to Konohamaru. "How's everything going?"

Konohamaru shrugged and turned back to the window. "Fine I guess. One of the customers kept pinching my butt every time I went by him. I tried to avoid his table, but he kept asking for refills."

Naruto wrapped his arms around his friend from the back giving him a hug. "Just smack his hand away when he does that." Customers were allowed to touch the servers, but most got the hint to back off after a few slaps.

"I tried, but," Konohamaru trailed off.

"Stubborn pervert," Naruto suggested.

"Yeah," his friend replied.

The two were silent for a moment and then Naruto mentioned the elephant in the room, "You nervous?"

"Not really. I mean it's not like it's my first time or anything. I've been on stage before and I like doing it with you," Konohamaru said in a low nervous whisper.

Tilting his friend's head back, Naruto looked into his eyes. "This is different. It's not like when we're just doing it and we can't stop the camera this time. It might hurt, but if you remember your training, you will be fine." Konohamaru swallowed and nodded solemnly which only made Naruto feel worse. "I love you," Naruto said.

That caused his little friend to smile weakly and repeat back to him, "I love you to."

Naruto said those words a lot, but whenever he spoke them or heard them from Konohamaru, it always felt different. It was a strange feeling, something like a stomach ache, but good. His friend leaned into him and he felt what was left of the candy bar pressed against his leg. "Hey, that reminds me, this is for after the show."He dug into his pocket and produced the candy bar and said, "I already had my half, the rest is for you."

His smaller friend's eyes lit up and the mood in the room lightened a little as he asked, "Can I have it now?"

"Sorry, but I got to get you ready and change myself."

"But I want it now," Konohamaru protested jokingly, even as he pulled away to climb onto a table.

Naruto quickly stripped and changed into his own fundoshi before grabbing one of the lubricants from the cabinet. There were actually several he could've chosen from, but today he grabbed the one that had a numbing effect in addition to making everything slippery. Ordinarily he wouldn't use it, but today was special. Sex was something Naruto did most days in one form or another, but it was still new to his partner.

Approaching his friend who was lying on his belly, the blonde felt guilty. This was really all his fault. He should've argued more when Kaede said that they would be performing on stage. He shouldn't have pulled the younger boy into that closet where they got caught. He should've resisted more when Konohamaru asked him about sex. He should've done a lot of things. The trouble was he liked it when he and Konohamaru did it, it was different than with clients or anyone else.

Glancing down at his friend's back he felt sick. His head hurt and he didn't know why. However, the show had to go on and undoing Konohamaru's fundoshi he started to prepare him. Normally, Naruto would enjoy doing this, but it was just mechanical today. The blonde tried to think of something to say, but nothing came to him.

He finished a few minutes later having been very liberal with applying the lube and when Konohamaru sat backup he squished his face together and said, "It feels weird."

"Sorry, but too much is better than too little right?"

At that moment the door to the stage opened and Kiba and Hinata came into the room. They both wore tattered clothing and Kiba grinned widely at the sight of them. "The crowds all warmed up." His gaze shifted to Konohamaru and he added, "You know when you're bored with him we should do a little act. What do you think?"

Naruto stepped in front of Konohamaru. Kiba and Hinata had a little dance routine they did that was always popular, but by the tone of his voice Naruto knew he had not been referring to that. Before he could say anything though, Hinata spoke up.

"Kiba be nice. Konohamaru is probably nervous as it is."

Her partner rolled his eyes. "It's not like he has a hard part you know. I bet," he paused seeing something in her expression then turned back around and said, "whatever. I'm done for the day anyways." Without saying another word Kiba left the room.

Naruto relaxed a little as Hinata made her way over to them. "Good luck guys. I'm sure you'll do fine."

"Thanks Hinata," Naruto said.

Naruto wasn't sure why, but he felt grateful to her. He watched her go until he felt a tug on his elbow and he looked down to see his young partner looking up at him. "Hey, let's go," Konohamaru said.

"Yeah, it's time I guess." Naruto tried to sound casual, but the words sounded awkward, even to him.

His companion didn't seem to notice as they made their way to a short staircase that led to the stage. Konohamaru started up the stairs before him, but paused halfway up and turned around. He was at eye level with Naruto and before the blonde could react, the younger boy leaned towards him and placed a kiss on his lips.

It caught Naruto by surprise and before he could respond Konohamaru broke the kiss and scampered up the rest of the stairs without even a backwards glance. Naruto stared after him before realizing that the kiss had caused a reaction. He had given two blow jobs today, but for the first time he was getting an erection. Perhaps it was because he knew he was about to have sex, but he didn't think so.

Climbing the stairs he emerged just offstage with Konohamaru pensively waiting for him. He gave him a nudge and said, "Go. We'll do it just like we discussed."

The younger boy nodded and without looking up at him stepped out onto the stage. The stage was brightly lit which was actually something Naruto was grateful for. The restaurant area was kept dark in comparison so when you're on stage you couldn't really see the audience. Of course, that didn't stop the occasional person from shouting something out.

Konohamaru walked to the center of the stage where there was a small island that jetted out into the audience. He then got on his hands and knees, which was Naruto sign to join him. Taking deep breaths his training started to kick in.

The technique that Madam had taught him was actually supposed to be used when a ninja was captured and being interrogated. With a little effort they were able to trick the brain into believing that they weren't where they were. In reality Naruto walked onto the stage and undid his own fundoshi exposing himself to a whistle from the audience.

In his mind's eye he was remembering an earlier incident with Konohamaru that had been far more personal and intimate. The two of them had arranged a secret rendezvous in a room they knew wasn't going to be used. There he had walked into the room and kissed his younger friend who had been waiting for him. After a few moments of that, they had started pulling off each other's clothes.

On stage he undid Konohamaru's fundoshi and fondled him a little, but in his mind he ran his fingers down the boy's side causing him to giggle. Naruto lined himself up before pushing his stiff penis into his young partner's bottom. In a different time and place, he kissed his way down his friend's chest slowly moving his body counterclockwise on the bed until he reached his destination. In his mind's eye he was taking the younger erection in his mouth, then he felt a hand on his own member followed by a warm wet place.

For several minutes Naruto lived in the past. It was a happy memory and there was a part of him that didn't want to leave it, then he felt a tightening around his member and that was all he needed. He felt almost as if he was lost as his body was pushed past its limits. The strange, almost gooey feeling washed over him, and with it came reality, he was back on stage, naked.

His face flushed and it wasn't entirely from the orgasm. Looking down he saw Konohamaru, his head hung low and panting. Without acknowledging the audience he picked his younger friend up and carried him off stage.

Back in the dressing room he put Konohamaru down so that he could lean against a table. The older of the two ran his fingers through the younger's hair and asked, "Are you okay? I didn't hurt you did I?"

Konohamaru shook his head no, but didn't meet his eyes.

"What's wrong then?"

His friend wet his lips before looking up at him and saying, "It's different, than I thought it would be."

Naruto nodded, trying hard not to cry, "I know."


	3. Escape

Authors note: Let it never be said I don't listen to my reviewer's. After receiving an e-mail I've decided to post this chapter ahead of schedule as it completes the other two. Also, I shall be going back to chapter 1 and making their ages clear as that was another complaint. Of course, so not that everyone has to go back and read the chapter again I shall state the relative once here. Naruto along with all the other of what would have been his graduating class are 11 and Konohamaru is 8 (yes I'm fudging it a little.) I would like to thank the reviewer for taking the time to write an e-mail to me to point out these problems.

* * *

Naruto did what he could to comfort Konohamaru. He cleaned both of them up and got them dressed, but beyond that he didn't really know what to do. In the end, he ended up sitting on a table with his legs folded and pulled Konohamaru onto his lap. They didn't say anything and the younger of the two leaned against him, quietly munching on the candy bar, eating each piece individually.

The two were silent and it was several minutes after the show ended when the door opened and Kaede, or the Madam as some called her, walked in. Unconsciously, Naruto tightened his grip around Konohamaru as she approached.

"The audience seemed a little disappointed in the show," she said without preamble, "but as it was Konohamaru's first time, full points." She paused before adding, "Still, I'll expect a better job next time, perhaps some audience participation?"

Naruto stiffened and said, "Only with me." Sometimes someone would pay to be on the stage with them and join in the show or even rarer they would pull someone from the audience. The audience always seemed to like it when their was an adult up there with them, but Naruto didn't want any of those types of people near Konohamaru.

She smiled and came a little closer. It was only then that Naruto noticed she had been drinking. She wasn't drunk, but it didn't look like it would take much to get her there. "Well, you two should grab dinner, but Naruto, I need your help moving some supplies from the basement. Konohamaru, you should head to the kitchen."

Naruto would have been happy to stay right where he was, but that wasn't an option. So he pushed Konohamaru up and told him he would see him in a few minutes. Then he followed Kaede out of the room.

The basement of the old estate was creepy. It wasn't just Naruto who thought so, but just about anyone who went down there. They used the stairs that connected all the other floors together, and once the door was closed, it was absolutely silent. There were four small cells and he didn't know why this place had them. All of the cells were being used to store supplies that ranged from canned goods to costumes that were only brought out for special occasions.

"We need toilet paper and paper towels," Kaede said pointing to one of the cells.

The lighting was dim in the basement and the cells themselves had no lighting in them at all. The bars to the cells were made out of two inch thick wood that made a checkerboard pattern. The door to the cell was small. An adult would have to get on their hands and knees to climb inside and even Naruto, short as he was, needed to duck low as he entered.

All the supplies were in bulk and as he grabbed the thirty-six pack of toilet paper, he heard a creak followed by a click. At first he didn't think anything of it, but when he turned around holding the toilet paper, he paused. "Um, the door closed."

"I know. I think it's best if you spend the night here," Kaede answered looking off to her side.

His eyes widened, "I don't want to stay here." He couldn't keep the confusion or terror out of his voice.

"I know. I am sorry."

Naruto felt his throat go dry. "Why?" He croaked the word out.

Kaede sighed and leaned against the bars. "Listen Naruto, I respect you. You've worked hard for Konohamaru's sake and that is why I think I need to do this. You see, a man came in and offered a very large sum to spend one night with Konohamaru."

"What! He can't," Naruto said in almost a whisper. His voice teetered on breaking either on the edge of anger or tears.

"Naruto, the sum is large. We will be able to shut down for two weeks or maybe more. I can't pass that up. I'll be sure to tell everyone that it is thanks to Konohamaru that they have a vacation."She said pushing away from the bars.

"Let me take his place. I'll do whatever the guy wants."

She started to walk away and said over her shoulder, "Sorry, he requested Konohamaru, but he did say that he wasn't into anything out of the ordinary."

Naruto ran to the wooden bars and watched as she started up the stairs. He kicked at the cell's door, but it didn't give.

"Don't do that." Kaede said. "That's the strongest cell here and you'll just end up hurting yourself." Those were the last words she said before she walked up the stairs and left the basement.

Naruto had never made many decisions in his life. At the orphanage decisions had been made for him. There was a time to get up and a time to go to bed. Meals had followed a schedule and even attending the Academy was expected for everyone at first. Then he had been taken away from all that, but not much had changed, his life still followed a pattern. Even when he had been shown what he was expected to do and when he did it, he never chose to do it.

The only real decision he ever made was when he chose to help Konohamaru. The boy had been scared and almost instinctively he wanted to protect him and he promised himself he would. Now, he made another decision and that was he was going to keep that promise, no matter what.

He looked at the cell again. On three sides the walls were stone, so there was no way out that way and the little door seemed to be reinforced. That left the cell wall itself and he kicked it, but it didn't give. So he backed up as far as he could and ran at the cage before throwing his body against it. This time he heard a crack, but didn't see any damage. Still, it was a start and he threw his body against it again and again.

It hurt at first, but the more he did it the more the pain seemed to fade away. Each blow seemed to become stronger and he his running faster. As he thought of what might be going on, he became angrier and seemed to redouble his efforts. At some point, he fell on all fours like an animal and found he was quicker that way, it almost felt natural. He threw his shoulder into every blow and some of the cracks he was hearing were his bones breaking, but they seemed to heal as fast as they were broken.

The wooden bar cracked and began to bulge outward. The next time he hit that spot, it broke and he crashed through the cage and landed on the floor of the other side. Rolling to his feet, he realized he didn't have a plan, but at the moment it didn't seem very important as he broke into a run. Again, he fell to all fours as he started up the stairs.

He wasn't thinking. He really didn't know what he was doing, but he felt as if he could do anything right now. He had one overriding thought which was simple, he had to save Konohamaru.

* * *

There were a lot of things Konohamaru didn't understand. He didn't understand why he liked the smell of tobacco. He didn't understand his nightmares. He didn't understand why people didn't want to be his friend. One thing he did know, though, was when Naruto had been holding him, he had felt Naruto's heart beat and he hadn't wanted that to end.

He liked when Naruto was around and missed him when he wasn't. Konohamaru also liked when Naruto did stuff with him. It didn't matter if it was just talking or the stuff that was normally done with customers, he just liked being around him.

So when Kaede, the matron, had told him to get dinner, he hadn't exactly been happy. Even though he hadn't eaten much that day because he had been nervous, he wasn't hungry now. Still, Konohamaru went to the kitchen like he had been told to do.

Along the far wall in the kitchen was a small counter where twelve people could sit and this is where most of them took their meals during the day. Right now it was empty and he was thankful for that. Instead of taking a seat, though, Konohamaru leaned against the wall, deciding to wait for Naruto.

"Hey, Konohamaru take this to the second suite."

He turned towards the voice to see the cook pointing at a covered platter of food. "I'm off for the day."

"Yeah, well you haven't eaten dinner yet and I could burn it on you if you don't help out," the man called back.

Sticking his tongue out at the cook, he picked up the heavy platter and headed for the stairs. The platter was actually placed on a tray which had straps connected to it. The straps went over the shoulders which made carrying it easier for the younger kids like him.

Bringing food to the rooms was a job given to anyone who didn't seem to have anything to do at the moment and Konohamaru thought he was given the job more than most. It wasn't that he didn't put in as many hours as everyone else, but when Naruto didn't have time off he didn't like staying upstairs with the others. They weren't mean to him really, but he felt out of place.

Climbing the stairs, he tried to amuse himself with trying to guess what was under the cover. The more the food cost the more points the person entertaining the client would get. He had heard others talking about how they could trick the clients into ordering expensive things. It was something they seemed to find funny, but although he would laugh with them, he didn't really get it.

The floor that had the suites only had four rooms to the twelve of the lower floor. They were not rented as often. When they were it was usually for honeymoons that normally lasted for at least two days or private parties. Walking up to the door with the number two on it, he knocked and waited.

When the door opened, it revealed the man from the table earlier wearing a white bathrobe. Konohamaru tensed at the unexpected sight of him, but when the man stepped aside and said, "Put it on the table." He realized it was just a coincidence.

Stepping inside, Konohamaru headed for the table. He didn't give much thought to the door closing behind him. Standing on his toes, he placed the platter on the table and turned intending to leave, but stopped when he saw the man leaning against the door with his hands in the pockets of his bathrobe.

"You look even better in this light. Although, I think I preferred how you were dressed downstairs," the man said eyeing him up and down.

Konohamaru resisted the urge to take a step back and said with both a false confidence and casualness, "I have to get going."

The man smiled unpleasantly and pushed himself off of the door saying, "No, you don't. You will be spending the night here with me."

This time he didn't resist the urge to take a step back. Bumping against the table, he slid along the curved side until it was between him and the man. "Um," he didn't know what to say as fear and panic seemed to take over his mind. On some level he knew Naruto found himself in situations like this all the time as did the others, but this was a first for him. "You're wrong." The words came as a surprise to Konohamaru, but then he understood what he was trying to say, "I'm not the one you paid for."

He looked to his right where the door was open to the bedroom, half expecting to see someone sitting on the bed, but it was neatly made. Frantically, he wondered if he ran in there, would the man follow? Maybe he could get around him then and then get to the door.

"I know what you're thinking. Whatever you were told or whatever protection you have is gone." He paused to loosen his bathrobe to reveal he was wearing nothing underneath it. "The fact is, if you have enough Ryo, you can buy anything. Consider that a free lesson on how the world works." The little man smirked and placed his hands on the table saying, "Now we can do this the easy way or the hard way, but I'm going to get what I paid for."

Konohamaru's vision blurred as he felt himself break out into a sweat. This couldn't be happening. Naruto had cashed in his points so something like this wouldn't happen, didn't he? Naruto always protected him.

At that moment, as if summoned by that thought, the door banged open, the flimsy lock offering up hardly any resistance to the body that had been thrown against it. The man spun around as Konohamaru peered around him and smiled as he saw Naruto standing in the doorway.

"What the hell do you," the man started to speak, but was cut off as Naruto darted forward and punched the man in the jaw. Naruto was shorter than the man, but to Konohamaru's astonishment, the man's feet literally left the ground. The body crashed to the ground and even to his untrained eye, Konohamaru could tell his head was at an unnatural angle.

Looking back at Naruto, he noticed for the first time that there was something different about him. He seemed a little scary. The marks on his cheeks were more pronounced and his eyes seemed to have turned blood red. When he spoke, though, it was unmistakably the Naruto he knew.

"Are you okay? He didn't touch you did he?"

Konohamaru shook his head no, before finding his voice and saying, "No, he didn't do anything."

"Good," Naruto said nodding to himself. "We're getting out of here."

"What?" Konohamaru said, "What do you."

Before he could finish what he was saying, Naruto scooped him up. Despite the slightly longer than usual fingernails, he was unquestionably the Naruto he had known for years.

The blonde cracked open the window, and before Konohamaru knew what he was doing, Naruto had stepped onto the windowsill and jumped out. For a moment, as he fell, he thought Naruto had gone crazy, but before he could scream they landed on the outer wall that surrounded the House and Naruto jumped down from there. The two of them disappeared into the night.

* * *

Kaede came back to consciousness due to shaking. Before she could even open her eyes, though, she wanted to go back to sleep or being unconscious; whichever she had been jarred away from. A hand shook her again and she was about to slap it away when the words they were saying registered.

"Matron, wake up. We have a problem."

She looked up at the man who was dressed as one of the guards and asked groggily, "What's wrong?"

"It looks like a guest was killed," the man reported.

That brought her to full attention and she tried to stand up only to have her body protest. She had gotten drunk last night and passed out in her office chair. Her body was now reminding her that was not a good idea. After a second of gripping her desk she said, "Show me."

A moment later, the guard led her to the floor where the suites were. She had a sinking sensation even before she stepped into suite number two and saw Gato's body on the floor. There were three other men in the room, one was Mitate, the medic-nin, but the other two were unfamiliar. It took her a second to realize that these must be the bodyguards Gato had mentioned.

"What happened," she said causing Mitate to look up.

Standing, he said, "His nick was broken. I'm guessing death was pretty instantaneous. Rigor mortis hasn't fully set in and I would say he died about ten hours ago."

"All right, who found the body?"

"That would be me," the guard who brought her here spoke up. "I was doing my rounds which involve checking this floor. As I was walking by this room, I noticed the door was ajar and I went to close it, thinking it was left open by accident. It was only then I noticed that the wood around the lock was splintered, so I looked in the room and saw this," he gestured to the body on the floor.

"What does it matter what happened," the taller of the two bodyguards said. "Our employer is dead and it happened at your establishment. We demand compensation."

Kaede held up her hand, not appreciating the shouting with her hangover. "Sir, I recognize the situation. We will deal with that, but right now you should inform every one of his death and where it took place, so the company can sort itself out."

"Tell the company where he died? Are you insane?" The shorter of the two spoke up. "It would ruin his good name."

"Oh, so nobody knows he was coming here?" She asked.

"Of course not," the taller of the two said.

She silently sent a prayer of thanks to whatever deity had blessed her with two complete idiots as witnesses. Without warning, she grabbed the taller of the two head and slamming his neck against the table. There was a satisfactory crack and before the body hit the ground she pivoted on the ball of her foot, catching the other guard in the throat. He stumbled backwards and tried to draw his sword.

She knocked his hand away before hooking her foot behind his knee which took him to the ground. From there, she grabbed his neck and twisted. She felt a crack this time and the body went limp.

Kaede leaned against the wall, breathing heavily. She had not realized she was this out of shape. After a moment, she looked over at the guard who seemed to be frozen with fear, perhaps thinking he was her next victim. For a second, she found that amusing and wondered how tough her guards were.

"Put the three bodies in a cart and take them several miles up the road. Dump their bodies there where they will not be found for at least a few hours. Be sure to collect the other personal possessions from here and make sure to plant all of them on the bodies. Gato had enough people after him that it won't be surprising if he ends up dead. I don't really care what they think as long as it didn't happen here."

The man nodded and practically scurried from the room, before pausing. "Should we close for the day?"

"Absolutely not," She said emphatically, "nothing unusual has happened here." Turning her attention to Mitate she said, "You could've helped me, you know."

"Hey, I'm a medic, not a fighter. That's why I was assigned here."

Useless, she thought. "Do you know where the boy who was supposed to be with him is now?"

He shook his head, "The room was empty. I'm a little worried to be honest. I mean, this really could have been an assassination."

Kaede doubted that, but she said, "Go do a bed check. It's unlikely, but they might have gone upstairs to bed after that happened," she nodded towards the body. "He might've been scared and just didn't say anything."

"I'll get right on that," Mitate said.

Once he was gone, Kaede turned towards the open window which no one else seemed to notice. Walking up to it, she looked down the three stories. A ninja could've climbed up here certainly, but if they were an assassin they would've at least incapacitated Konohamaru which would mean he would still be in the room. However, if Naruto still wasn't in his cell then she would bet everything that it had been Naruto who had killed Gato with a little help from a demon perhaps.

Of the two scenarios, she actually preferred that one. If there wasn't another ninja involved she could then sweep the entire mess under the rug if she could capture those two again. However, if she made a complete report of the incident she was pretty confident that she would receive a kill order regarding Konohamaru, and really, she didn't want to do that. Rubbing her temples, she headed to the basement to discover what her next move would be.


	4. Naruto the Thief

There was a visceral satisfaction in running. Naruto couldn't really remember the last time he had really just run. For almost three years his world had been defined by the walls that surrounded the House, and now that he was beyond it, each step felt different. He felt as if he could run forever, never stopping and never tiring. Of course, his high couldn't last. The strength wasn't his and when he crashed it was literal.

Stumbling, he hit the ground, sending Konohamaru flying off of his back. Fortunately for both of them the ground was covered in dead and decaying leaves. Climbing to his knees, Naruto spat one out of his mouth before collapsing onto his side panting. Exhaustion had hit him all of a sudden and for the first time he felt his legs burn with exhaustion as his feet throbbed from the long run.

"Are you all right?" Konohamaru said, coming to kneel by his side.

"Yeah… I… just… need… to… rest… here…" he answered between gasps. Rolling onto his back he stared up into the star-filled sky, chest heaving. The moon was full, and even through the trees it provided enough light to see clearly. He tried to take in his surroundings. Unfortunately, it looked as if it was just a random spot in the woods.

"Naruto," Konohamaru asked after a few minutes.

"Yeah," Naruto's breathing had become quieter and less deep.

"Thanks, for saving me. At first I thought it was a mistake, but-"

"No," Naruto interrupted sitting up. "It wasn't. The madam told me about it." He didn't know why he felt the need to say that, but he did. Konohamaru didn't say anything after that, and after a moment Naruto went on, "I think we should get some sleep."

"Where are we going to sleep?"

The question caught Naruto off guard. He had meant in the woods, but now that Konohamaru had mentioned it they didn't have a place to sleep and wouldn't have a place to sleep or eat or drink. "We'll sleep out here tonight," he said trying to break that track of thought before the sense of panic he was starting to feel could set in.

"All right," Konohamaru said, yawning.

He reached out and grabbed Konohamaru's little arm and pulled him to the ground with him. The night was warm and the sky was clear, so Naruto thought one spot was just as good as any other to sleep on. The leaves didn't seem to make a bad bed, but they weren't as comfortable as his bunk back at the House.

Konohamaru seemed to find a little more comfort, resting his back against Naruto's side and using his shoulder as a pillow. He could tell his friend had drifted off quickly which he thought was a little funny because he had done all of the running. He tried to follow suit, but he was only starting to realize how much trouble the two of them were in. For a second he considered the idea of going back, but squashed it immediately. Konohamaru wouldn't have to do the things he had done. That was his last thought as exhaustion finally caught up to him.

* * *

"Wake up, Naruto, please wake up!"

Naruto slowly opened his eyes, feeling a pulling on his shirt. For a second, he thought he had not opened his eyes, but then he realized that clouds had blotted out the stars and the moon which made it almost completely dark.

"Please wake up, I'm scared."

Naruto recognized the voice as Konohamaru's, but it sounded as if he was in tears. "What's wrong?" he said groggily.

Not breaking his mantra, Konohamaru continued, "It's dark. I don't want it to be dark. Do something," he pleaded.

Sitting up, he grabbed Konohamaru's arms which were still pulling on his shirt. "Hey, stop. What's wrong?"

"I don't like the dark. I don't want it to be dark."

Even though he was more awake now, Naruto still couldn't make any sense out of what Konohamaru was asking. "There's nothing I can do about it."

"Please," Konohamaru pleaded, throwing himself into Naruto's chest. "I don't want it to be dark anymore."

He could feel his shirt was still soaked with sweat, but more importantly he could tell Konohamaru was crying. Not knowing what to do, but feeling the need to do something, he hugged the smaller boy. The eight year-old's body shuddered with sobs as he kept letting out a plea for him to do something.

After a minute of this he hit on an idea and pulled Konohamaru away from his chest. He placed his hands on either side of Konohamaru's cheeks, barely being able to make his friend's familiar face out, but feeling the tracks the tears made. "Listen to me." The younger boy stopped muttering his pleas and sniffed loudly. "I want you to close your eyes, okay?"

"Okay," Konohamaru responded in a quiet voice that sounded nothing like him.

"I want you to pretend you're just trying to go to sleep and pretend it's the middle of the day, okay?"

"All right," he said quietly and more calmly.

"Okay," Naruto echoed, pulling the boy back against him. He hugged the other boy again, stroking his back to comfort him. It took several minutes for his sobbing to become quiet and even longer for his breathing to slip into what might have been sleep.

Still Naruto held Konohamaru, afraid that if he moved he would wake him and start another round of sobbing. He didn't know what had set Konohamaru off like that and it kind of scared him. The younger boy didn't usually cry and as he thought about it, he could not really remember this happening before, at least not like this. Naruto tried to remember the other times Konohamaru had cried.

When it had just been the four of them back at the cottage, before the House, Konohamaru had cried. Naruto vaguely remembered that they all had, at least at night. All four of them had been uprooted and were scared, but those tears had been nothing like this. The only other time he could remember Konohamaru crying was when he was about to service his first client. However, those tears had been nothing like this, either. Still, back then they had moved him and he had taken on the client that was supposed to be Konohamaru's.

Had it just been the dark that triggered his tantrum? After a moment of thought that did seem to make sense. At the House on the floor where they had all slept there were at least two nightlights plugged into either end of the dorm room. They had provided a fair amount of light because even after the House had closed for the evening there were always a few of them coming in late from servicing last minute clients.

Slowly the mystery of Konohamaru's tantrum was pushed aside by a growing and more urgent need: Naruto was thirsty. Back at the House he could have just slipped out of his bed and got a drink from the faucet, but out here he supposed he would need to find some water. As he thought about how thirsty he was he realized he hadn't eaten anything since lunch either.

Food would probably be harder to find than water. He had spent some time at the Academy, but the stuff he had learned there was from a different lifetime, and even then he had not been that good of a student. Maybe if they found a road they could find someone who would give them food, but that seemed unlikely to Naruto. Then he stiffened and wondered if the Madam would be looking for them.

Naruto knew that he had been the most profitable entertainer and that was largely due to wanting to protect the boy he was currently holding, but that probably meant she would be looking for him. If someone saw them they might tell her if she was offering a reward.

His thoughts continued like that until the dark sky turned gray and his thirst went from a want to a desire and finally a need. Shaking Konohamaru awake, he said, "Time to get up."

The younger boy blinked up at him, still half asleep. Rubbing his eyes he said, "I'm thirsty."

"Yeah, so am I. Maybe we can find a stream or something."

Pulling apart, they both climbed to their feet, feeling a little stiff. To Naruto any direction was as good as another, as long as it didn't bring them back towards the House. So they set out side-by-side heading vaguely northwest. For a while they were quiet as Naruto tried to figure out what they were going to do and Konohamaru felt embarrassed about his tantrum. After a few minutes of silence, though, the younger felt the need to remind Naruto, "I'm thirsty."

"I know," Naruto said again.

"I wish Kiba was here," Konohamaru added.

"Why?" The blonde asked confused. He didn't think that the two of them had ever got along that well.

"Because," he said with a grin, "then we could have something to drink." He giggled to himself.

It took him a moment to realize what his friend was referring to and he made a face. Kiba had started producing sperm about a month ago which was a fact that Naruto could attest to, but he can also attest to the fact it wasn't that much. "Trust me, it wouldn't work."

"I know," Konohamaru said disapprovingly. "I was just making a joke."

"Yeah," Naruto said, turning to say with a grin, "but it was bad."

Konohamaru stuck out his tongue and lowered his eyelid. Naruto copied him and they both started laughing. After a minute, though, the younger of the two asked, "What does it taste like?"

"Sperm?" Naruto questioned. "Why do you want to know?"

Konohamaru shrugged and looked down his face turning red. "I'm curious. I mean, you'll start making it, eventually."

The way he had said, "Eventually," made it seem like years would pass. Swatting at him playfully, Konohamaru danced away with a grin, his cheeks flushed from his earlier embarrassment. Naruto did think for a minute about the question, trying to sum up all of his experiences. It was harder than he thought, since he stopped thinking about it a long time ago. "Well," he began "it's salty. Kinda like the saltwater you gargle with when you have a sore throat."

"That's it?"

"Sort of. Everyone's a little different I think, but salty I think is best."

"I heard-" Konohamaru began only to be cut off as Naruto gestured for silence.

"You hear that?" After a second Konohamaru shook his head no, but Naruto didn't notice. "I think that's a stream. Come on." He broke into a run, his friend following a few steps behind.

Naruto followed the sound of flowing water until he saw the source of the sound and sprinted forward shouting, "Water."

The small stream was in a depression. It seemed clear to Naruto and the water was moving fast. Carefully climbing down the steep bank of the stream, he hesitantly cupped the water with his hands and lifted it to his mouth.

"How is it?" Konohamaru asked from above, more than happy to let Naruto take the lead on this.

Running his tongue over his lips, he thought about it for a second. "It's different than the tap water, but it doesn't taste bad." It did have a taste, but he couldn't quite describe it.

Konohamaru nodded and started down, but a second later he let out a cry and tumbled into the stream. Naruto looked over, just in time to see Konohamaru make a splash in the stream as his friend landed face first.

"You okay, Konohamaru? Naruto questioned.

The other boy raised his head out of the water and gave him a dirty look, before pulling his arm out of the muck. "Yeah," Konohamaru answered, trying to wipe the mud from his arm with his hand and flicking it back into the stream with a disgusted look on his face.

Naruto tried to help him up, but he pushed him away, wiping off the remaining mud on his shorts. They both drank their fill, which was more than usual as their stomachs were still empty. Climbing back out of the depression, Konohamaru took off his shirt and tried to dry his hair with it, which was only partially successful. Throwing his shirt over his shoulder, they started off heading downstream. At least they would have water for a while.

Naruto's eyes drifted to Konohamaru, and in his mind he played out some things he wouldn't mind doing with his little friend right now, but between being hungry and not knowing what they were going to do, they remained just that. As a result of Naruto's daydreaming, though, it was Konohamaru who pointed out the house.

"Hey, look," Konohamaru said, pointing.

Naruto followed the gesture and saw a two-storey house. It was taller than long and a part of it seemed to be built into the stream itself. The water seemed to channel down a gradually narrowing path which led to a large wooden wheel that turned slowly.

Earlier, Naruto had worried about running into people, but now his stomach made its decision for him. "Stay here. I'm going to see if they will give us something to eat."

"Why can't I come with you?" Konohamaru said, confused.

Naruto had to actually think about that for a minute, as he wasn't sure why he had said it. There had to be something more to it than the fact that he was wary of adults, but he couldn't come up with another reason. "Just do it."

"No. I'm coming with you," Konohamaru said, folding his arms defiantly.

For a moment, Naruto was going to argue, but his stomach rumbled and the fight went out of him. "Fine, just let me do the talking."

Konohamaru made a sound that could have been interpreted as anything, but Naruto ignored it. The two of them went around the house to the front door. The house itself was not on road, but there was a short path that led to one. Even to Naruto's untrained eye, it looked to be well traveled, which meant it had either existed for a long time or this house had a lot of visitors.

Knocking on the door, they waited for a response before knocking again. After a few minutes without a response, Naruto went to one of the windows and looked inside. "I don't think there's anyone home."

"No food, then," Konohamaru said, dejectedly.

His young friend's downcast face made Naruto take a second look into the window. He hoped he could see someone, but all he could see from here was a couch. Trying to look around the room, he saw a doorway that led to another room, which he guessed was the kitchen simply because he could see a refrigerator.

Maybe it was his own hunger or perhaps Konohamaru's that made him say what he said. "I can see a fridge, so they have food. Maybe we should take some."

"How?"

Instead of answering, Naruto went back to the front door and tried to open it, but found it locked. He tried pushing against it, but that had no effect. "Maybe I can break a window. Come on." They went around the back of the house again and Naruto found the window for the kitchen. "Look for a rock or something," he instructed Konohamaru.

The two of them looked around for a minute when Konohamaru called out, "Hey, Naruto, what about this?"

Looking over, he saw the younger boy kneeling and trying to pull a rock out of the ground. At first it looked to be only two inches big, but as he pulled it turned out to be nearly four times that length. With a grin, he stood holding up the oval-shaped rock over his head, proud of his discovery.

"That's perfect," Naruto said, taking it away from Konohamaru and lifting it to get a feel for its weight. "Okay, I'll break the window, climb inside and grab some food."

"What about me?"

This time Naruto was prepared for the question. "You have to watch the road in case someone comes back. I don't want to get caught inside." Konohamaru nodded solemnly at that, which caused Naruto to hide his grin. For a moment, he thought he would have another argument on his hands.

Walking up to the window, he paused. He had never purposely broken a window before, or anything for that matter on purpose. For a brief second, he wondered if they should just wait for whoever lived here to return, but what if they wouldn't give them food? He was hungry and he knew Konohamaru was worse off than he was. With that thought in mind, he hurled the rock.

The sound of breaking glass shattered the silence of the woods and when it returned, it seemed quieter than before. For a moment Naruto stared up into the broken window, not quite believing how easy it had been. Pulling himself out of his contemplation of the vandalism he had just done, he pulled himself onto the windowsill. Taking out a few pieces of glass that were stuck in the frame, he tossed them on the counter in front of him before carefully stepping in.

Hopping off of the counter, he looked around, feeling like the intruder he was. He shook the feeling off and headed for the refrigerator. Opening it, his eyes roamed across the contents. There was a lot, and subconsciously, he tried to guess the point value for each item. Back at the House, everyone had received three square meals a day, but if they wanted anything beyond that they had to turn in some of their points. It came as a bit of a startling realization that he could take whatever he wanted.

Was this what it was like for others his age? Just open the fridge and grab whatever you want? It was strange, but the more he looked at all the food the happier he became. Grabbing an apple he bit into it. He had had apples before, but never directly from the fridge. It felt good cold.

Remembering Konohamaru, he looked around and saw a plastic bag hanging on a doorknob. There were several bags inside and he grabbed a couple and went back to the fridge, thinking what would be best to grab. He dumped the rest of the apples into one of the bags followed by a jar of olives. After a moment of hesitation, he started to grab some of the cans of soda. After all, they wouldn't be able to follow the stream forever. After that, he just decided to grab everything that looked like it didn't need preparation

When he had two full bags, Konohamaru called out, "Someone's coming!"

Naruto froze for a minute before beating a hasty retreat. When he jumped out the window, however, one of the bags brushed against a piece of glass he had neglected to remove from the side, and as it was already full to bursting, the bag's contents spilled onto the ground. For a moment, he wondered if he could pick them up, but Konohamaru said in a panic from his position at the corner of the home, "They're almost here." Grabbing his friend's arm he pulled away, running into the woods, leaving behind half of what he had taken.

* * *

Kaede had to do several things before tracking down her wayward charges. First she confirmed that Naruto was indeed no longer in the cell she had locked him in last night. The splintered wood was enough evidence to show he had escaped unassisted. Then she had to go back upstairs and see to it that Gato and his men were taking care of properly. A skilled medic-nin or physician would be able to easily determine that they had not died at the same time, but fortunately, there weren't any around these parts.

The last thing she did was go to the master registry they kept for the clients. The registry consisted of a little information on each child, and of course, several photos. Even though Konohamaru had never taken on clients he was entered in here just to keep Naruto honest. She removed the head shots of each boy and pocketed them. In case they had made it into a town she could show the images to people and say they were runaways, which were true, after a fashion.

Leaving the House behind as it opened, she tried to search for the trail. Her first track was simple enough to find. From the room where Gato was killed, it seemed Naruto had jumped onto the wall. Fortunately for her, there was grime on the wall and his landing had scraped some of it off. Once she had picked up the trail it was pretty easy to follow.

Tracking had always been something she was good at, even if she was out of practice now. Still, it was clear Naruto had been running hard and apparently carrying Konohamaru as when she found a footprint it was much too heavy for his frame.

After several miles, she concluded that he must've still been using the demon's power at the time. Without training or the fox's power he shouldn't have been able to run that long, especially carrying another person. She actually thought this was a bit of good fortune, as he was running in more or less a straight line, which only made it easier to track him.

The longer the trail went on like that, though, the more nervous she became. From what she read in the Bingo Book, most Jinchuriki could tap into their demon's power at different stages, but this came at a price. When they came down from the high they were often exhausted and vulnerable. However, she really didn't want to come across Naruto if he was still tapping into the fox's power. Then she wondered how Konohamaru would be taking it if Naruto was still like that now.

Fortunately, as she was becoming more concerned, the trail changed. Now she was finding evidence of two people walking and she was relieved. In her mind, she started to hope that when she came across the two boys they might even be happy to see her. So far there had been no evidence they had been able to eat anything, nor had she come across a source of water that would be obvious to untrained eyes.

That hope was dashed when she came across a small stream. Finding the spot they had drunken from, she knew they had not crossed over to the other side: the other bank was pristine, whereas the side she was on had obviously been climbed. It took her a few minutes to find out if they had traveled upstream or downstream, but a footprint led her in the right direction. She was grateful they didn't have any training: it was such a long trail it would have been easy to lose them by now otherwise.

She followed their periodic tracks downstream. When she saw a house with a water wheel, she briefly wondered if the two boys had taken refuge inside. As she approached, though, a voice called out, "Get off my property!"

Freezing, not knowing where the voice had came from, she raised her hands as the man came from around the corner of his house waving a fire poker in his hand. "Please calm down," she said.

"Calm down!" the man shouted, "You break into my house and you tell me to calm down?"

Before she could reply a woman came around the same corner the man just had. "Kisho, dear, calm down, please," she said laying a hand on his wrist. "She may not be the same person who broke our window."

"Unlikely," Kisho spat. "What are the chances of having two unwelcome guests in the same day?"

"I know you're angry but, please, they didn't really steal anything important."

'Steal' Kaede thought: she didn't think Naruto had it in him, or was it Konohamaru, she wondered. "Excuse me, but you were robbed?" she ventured.

The woman smiled and put her arm around her husband. "I really wouldn't say he stole anything. He just took food."

"And broke a window," the husband added.

Well, it seems her charges were here, she thought. "I'm sorry, but I'm trying to track down a fugitive. I'm afraid he might have been the person who broke into your home."

The man tensed and the woman's eyes widened as she said, "Is he dangerous?"

"No," Kaede said quickly trying to reassure them. "I do have to catch them, though," she said tapping a finger against her forehead protector. "Could you tell me what they took? It would be a great help to me."

The woman put a finger to her lower lip, which must've been a habit of hers. "Well, I think they took the apples we had left. I think there were four of them and he took some sodas, but I'm afraid that's all I can remember. Some of the stuff he took ended up on the ground outside. I think we startled them when we came home from selling the grain we had ground up in town. To be honest we didn't have much as we also bought groceries while we were out."

"Thank you," Kaede said. "How long ago did you come home and how far is the town from here?"

"About an hour and a half," Kisho muttered, "and the town is about a half hour walk from here."

Kaede smiled and thanked them again before saying she would just look around the area in case she could pick up the trail again. Secretly, she hoped they were heading for the town. It would be a lot easier if she could have dozens of citizens looking for them, all thinking they were just doing their civic duty, than tracking them through the woods.

* * *

Authors note: well, I hope you enjoyed and even if you didn't feel free to share why.


	5. Enter a Legend

It was easy for people to forget that Jiraiya was an intelligence expert. Of course, that was partly what made him an expert. Those who didn't know about his reputation, which were few, would think him a fool and he liked it that way. Life was so much more enjoyable when you could have fun.

That didn't mean he couldn't be serious though. The last few years he had been very serious. He had received the news of his sensei's death, a coup d'état and an immediate summons back to his home village all in the same message. Well, the official message had not been so honest. Rumors had reached him soon enough, though, that Danzo was in power, that had set off all sort of alarm bells with the Third's death being so sudden.

He had hesitated and had sought more information. What he had found had worried him. Then he had received a second message informing him he was either too return to Konohagakure or be labeled as a Missing-Nin. The decision to disappear was easy enough for him. Over the next few days and weeks, he had linked up with other ninjas from his home village who were also as equally hesitant to legitimize Danzo's actions.

Their problem was not one that could be easily resolved. Coups were certainly not unheard of in hidden villages, but it was a little like dropping blood in shark infested water. Other villages could sense weakness, and while the coup itself may not prompt a surprise attack, another coup so soon after could. Thus, they had settled on a single assassin who could hopefully do the job quickly and quietly.

He and the rest of his compatriots had waited far enough away from Konoha not to be noticed, but close enough that they could move in to support once Danzo was dead. Unfortunately, the assassination failed and Anko had barely managed to escape with her life. They had withdrawn frustrated, but unwilling to start a bloodbath.

For a while, there was dissent in the village and the rebels, as they had been labeled, ranks swelled. Well, maybe that was an exaggeration as their numbers, even now, didn't even exceed thirty. Still, for a while it looked as if Danzo would have to concede defeat. After all, the man was not so stubborn or foolish to be at the center of a village that could turn on him. They had underestimated the man's savagery.

It had taken them several months to figure out how he had managed to stop the dissent within the village, and when they had learned, Jiraiya wished they had carried out the attack and damn the consequences. As far as he knew it was unprecedented that a hidden village's hierarchy would punish an entire family for the actions of one member, but that's exactly what Danzo had done and it had worked.

His initial impulse was to find the place where the children were being held and rescue them, but when he learned of their numbers it became impractical. He could financially support that many children easily, but he couldn't hide them from recapture. Thus he had abandoned the idea at least until recently. The rebels were gearing up for one last push to take their beloved home back, and for their plan to succeed, they needed a Hyuga heiress.

Since none of their spies had been able to find the exact location of this place without a name, he had delved into the seediest parts of society to obtain the information. In the end, it had come down to a young government official who liked to frequent the place. In his relatively long career he had only killed a handful of noncombatants and for the most part those deaths bothered him, but when he had been done with this man, he had little trouble cutting his throat and it had not just been for operational security.

It was how he found himself stepping into an underage brothel. This wasn't the first brothel he had ever been to, but it was the first of this type. In a lot of ways it was the same, but in many other ways it was very different. For example, while all brothels pretty much gouged their patrons this place seemed to do it more. So far he had to rent a hotel room directly across from the brothel and pay a cover char_g_e. Still, now he was in the place and he just had to find one of the two girls he was looking for.

This early in the morning the place seemed half dead. There were maybe a half-dozen other people in the restaurant area, and to his surprise, two of those were women who seemed very interested in the show on stage. He glanced at the show itself, but quickly averted his eyes upwards to the ceiling. It was necessary for him to blend in, but that looked to be more difficult than it usually would be.

He took a seat in the back corner not quite sure how this worked, but he assumed it couldn't be any different than a regular brothel. For a moment, he wondered about the two women. One of them seemed attractive enough while the other was ordinary. Were they here with someone or did they simply want what the male customers wanted? He had never thought of women going to places like this, but perhaps he shouldn't have been so surprised.

Taking his mind off the customers and the show on stage, he glanced around the room. There was a bar, but it didn't seem to have a bartender at the moment. There was also a man who had a forehead protector on. That was unexpected, but Jiraiya wasn't just relying on a transformation to hide his appearance. He had dyed his hair black and even had cut it short for the purpose of this mission alone. He had also gone to the trouble of putting in colored contacts and inserting a pair of false teeth to change his jaw line. His clothes were also far more subdued than his usual attire. The only thing he could've added was a cane, but that had seemed superfluous.

"Good morning sir. Would you like a menu or a registry?"

Jiraiya had heard the boy's approach, but as he had been unusually quiet, he acted startled. The boy was maybe ten years old and was wearing some sort of bizarre outfit. Absentmindedly, he also noticed that he was standing just out of arms reach. Was that a conscious decision or just coincidence?

"Registry please," he said trying on a smile.

"Very good sir," the boy said as he placed the thicker of the two things he was carrying in front of Jiraiya. "Blue pages are for the boys and pink pages are for the girls. Once you've decided who you would like to spend some time with, go over to the window and work out the details with her." The boy said pointing him in the right direction.

"Thank you."

The boy smiled and said before walking away, "I'm just doing my job."

The conversation had been benign, but it left him unsettled for some reason. It took him a minute to realize that the conversation had been too casual for what they had been discussing. A pain of guilt washed over him. It just dawned on him that he was only taking one person away from this place while leaving the rest here. It didn't seem right, but what else could he do?

He looked down at the book in front of him which was as the boy had said, but separated by a piece of thick paper between the pink and blue pages. Using that piece of paper, he opened the book to the halfway point and found that the thick white paper had writing on it. It described services and the price for each one. Ignoring that for now, he concentrated on trying to find the person he was here to rescue.

Even though he didn't know what the heiresses looked like, their eyes would make them distinctive. The first girl had brown eyes which meant she couldn't be one of them, but out of curiosity he looked at the rest of the page which had several other photos of her in more revealing positions. Finding that unsettling, he quickly turned the page.

For the next half-dozen pages, he concentrated on the eyes alone, searching for pale almost blind looking eyes. Then he came across a pair of Piercing green eyes. His eyes flickered over to her bangs which were pink. He checked the name which was only given as Sakura, but he knew it had to be Haruno.

It was her father who had made that name memorable for him. Kazuki Haruno had been a ninja of no particular skill. He had never even risen above the level of Genin. Early in his career, he had resigned himself to being a paper pusher. Jiraiya had seen the man only in passing when he came in to give reports to the Third. He had been more noticeable for his hair color than anything else.

He would've been long forgotten if he had not attempted something so daring, and in Jiraiya's humble opinion, so brave, that it rivaled any of his accomplishments. What Kazuki Haruno had done was to attempt to assassinate Danzo. He didn't know why the man had attempted it, but he guessed one too many sleepless nights worrying about the village's future was the cause. From what they've heard, he had almost succeeded too. He had been able to get close enough to slice Danzo's throat, but not severely enough before being killed himself.

Security was tight around Danzo, but no one had suspected him as an assassin. For his sacrifice, Jiraiya had raised a glass to his memory. Unfortunately, his daughter paid the price for his misdeeds. Suddenly, he felt the need to take her away from this place, for her father's memory if no other reason, but he had to concentrate on the mission. Once Danzo was gone they could shut this place down.

Fortunately, the next page had the pale eye girl he had been looking for. Her name was Hinata and that had been one of the two girl's names he remembered. Going back to the page with services provided, he glanced at the descriptions. He decided he would pay for a two-day honeymoon. That would give them the longest lead-time to make good their escape. The only security he had seen so far was that one ninja standing there, but he definitely didn't want to risk anything at this stage.

Standing, he walked over to the little window which had a rather attractive young woman behind the counter. Placing the book on the counter, she looked up at him and smiled, "How can we help you today?" She said.

"I would like to have this girl for a honeymoon," he said casually.

The woman looked down and smiled, "Hinata she is a popular one and on duty today. Now this is your first visit here?" He nodded and she continued, "Well, in cases of honeymoons we accept payment after services are provided. However, we do expect to be paid in full. I am obligated to tell you that if you renege on your bill, we reserve the right to hire ninjas at your expense to extract the fee from you. If you have insufficient funds the ninjas may feel the need to help themselves to your internal organs."

That threat was not as uncommon as it sounded. No ninja liked being a debt collector, but even he had done that on occasion in his early years. "That won't be a problem," he reassured her, "I have ample funds."

He had to produce identification papers which stated he was from the Lightning country. They were actually legitimate papers coming from an official office, but none of the information was accurate. He was then given an initial bill and told that whenever he ordered something else the bill would be updated. Then the woman smiled and informed him that his girl would collect him momentarily and he should just sit back and enjoy the floor show.

Jiraiya did go back to his seat, but he didn't enjoy the show. Keeping his eyes plastered above the performers, he rehearsed the conversation he would have with Hinata. He saw her approach from the corner of his eye, but figured he should be captivated by the show. Waiting until she was only a few steps away, he turned his head to acknowledge her.

The girl was wearing a very tight green dress with a slit up the side. She was pretty in a way children were, but her smile was only skin deep as she came closer to him. Her hand reached out to touch his forearm, her hand sliding down to his hand and she intertwined their fingers and said, "Let's go."

If an older woman had done that he might've found it arousing, but even though she seemed confident on the surface, it was evident to him at least that she was just playing at this. Like a little girls wearing her mother's shoes. When he stood, he broke their contact which earned him a worried glance from the girl.

He followed her up two flights of stairs and into a suite of rooms. Once the door was closed, she turned round and smiled saying in a quiet voice, "What would you like to do?"

The situation was awkward for Jiraiya and it took him a minute to collect his thoughts. When he did he asked, "Your last name is Hyuga, right?" With her pale eyes that could obviously see he was ninety-nine percent sure, but it didn't hurt to eliminate that last one percent.

The young girl stiffened visibly, but nodded clearly on edge.

He bent down to be at her eye level and smiled. "Listen I don't want to hurt you in fact I want to get you out of this place, if you want to go?" He wasn't going to say she didn't have a choice even though she didn't, but he would offer it.

For a moment, the girl's expression remained neutral and then her eyes widened along with her mouth. He worried for a second that she would scream, but instead she smiled a genuine smile and asked in a louder tone, "Did you help Naruto and Konohamaru too?"

The mention of those two names took him by surprise. He recognized them both, but Naruto had been reported dead. Shaking himself, not believing that two parents would name their kids after food, he asked, "You know a Naruto? What does he look like, can you describe him?"

Hinata frowned, clearly not receiving the answer she wanted. "He's blonde. About this tall," she put her hand slightly lower than her own height, "and has three birthmarks on either side of his cheeks." She pushed her fingers against her cheeks to show him that they were like whiskers.

Jiraiya's heart started to race. "Do you know where he is?" He asked before remembering what she had said earlier.

She shook her head and looked down blushing before saying, "We were told that Naruto had paid for some alone time with Konohamaru. However, this morning, everyone seemed on edge, so we think they ran away last night."

For a brief moment he wondered what, 'spending time with' meant, but he pushed that thought to the side. If two boys had run away then they could be in trouble, not only from possible pursuers, but the world in general. Without ever consciously deciding on it, he knew he had to find Naruto. Fortunately, after a minute of thought, he remembered the tracking toad.

"Are you okay?" The girl asked warily. Wait," the girl said taking a step back. "My sister can she come too?"

Jiraiya was afraid of this. In a way it was heartwarming for her to care about her sister like this, but if he took her sister then her sister might ask to take someone else and this would quickly turn into a mess. "I'm sorry. I can only take one of you."

"Then take her."

He blinked at her surprised, but at the same time not. Still, his conscience wouldn't let him take one sister and leave the other behind after such a show of loyalty. "Is there a way to get her here, without raising suspicions?"

She nodded looking down at her feet. "We're sisters. Some people like that."

That thought made him feel queasy. If he remembered correctly, she was the older of two sisters and the thought that they had been forced to do stuff together was more wrong than anything else he had come across today. Of course, there was also a part that reviled himself, he's had that fantasy and had even written about it in one of his books.

"Yeah, okay. I'll take the both of you, but don't tell her that and then I'll go find Naruto."

He let the girl go collect her sister while he examined the rooms. There were several rooms, but in the bedroom there were two windows that slid open to either side which made the largest exit. He had hoped for a balcony or something like it, but you had to work with what you have. Opening the windows, he looked out to see what he could see. Fortunately, there didn't seem to be anyone moving about down below.

Stepping back from the window, he bit his thumb before summoning two toads. The first was a large green one, capable of carrying him and two passengers, but still small enough to fit through the window. The second toad was much smaller and seemed to look around as if expecting to be attacked at any second. "You-want–me-to-find-something?" The little toad asked running its words together.

"Yeah," Jiraiya said leaning down. "Can you sense any daemonic chakra lingering?"

The little toad nodded quickly. "Yeah-yeah. It's-like-it's-all-around-like-it's-soaked-into-the-wood."

He closed his eyes, remembering how difficult it was to deal with this guy. "Listen carefully," Jiraiya spoke slowly and clearly. "I need you to find a trail of daemonic chakra. It will be leading away from this building. Do you understand?"

"Yeah-yeah," the small purple toad said running the two words together.

"Good, go." Jiraiya said pointing to the window.

The toad hopped from its place on the bigger toads head right out the window before letting out a little screech, as he realized, he was on the third floor. Jiraiya would've been more worried if he didn't know that thing was practically indestructible.

A moment later, he heard the door open and close again and Hinata's voice called out, "Hello, sir are you here."

He grimaced, realizing he had never told her his name. "I'm in the bedroom," he answered.

A moment later, the two girls were in the doorway, the smaller one in front with her sister right behind her. They both took a step back at the site of the overgrown toad. He smiled and stood, "Ladies, this is your lucky day. This toad and I are going to get you both out of here for I am the great Jiraiya!"

* * *

R&R


	6. Fox and Toad Meet

Naruto and Konohamaru had run until the house they had broken into was out of sight. Once they were sure no one had seen them, they had examined the contents of their single remaining bag. Unfortunately, the bag mostly contained soda cans. Still, there were the apples and a jar of olives, even though it was mostly empty. So the two of them had sat down and had an impromptu picnic.

A few minutes later, they were both still sitting cross-legged facing each other. Naruto was munching on the last apple and as he took one more bite, he looked at the core in his hand. Judging he couldn't get anything more out of it, he tossed it to the side. Glancing up at Konohamaru, who was busily fishing out the last olive from the jar he asked, "Full?"

The small boy popped the last olive into his mouth and chewed it for a second before saying, "Yeah I guess so."

"Good," Naruto said not adding that that was the end of their food. He took a swig from his soda, enjoying the cool liquid before saying, "Well let's get going."

"Where?"

Konohamaru's question was simple, but Naruto really couldn't answer it. Besides away from the House, he really didn't have much of a plan. Then, he suddenly had an idea. "Those people that were coming back to that house we were at. Could you see which way they came from?"

His friend thought for a moment and then he pointed to his right, but added, "I think."

"Okay, so will cross the stream and get to that road. They were probably coming from someplace like a village or something, so we'll go there." He wasn't sure what they could do once they were there, but as Konohamaru nodded happily he didn't feel a need to say that.

After a few more minutes of rest they stood back up and went back to the stream. Their luck seemed to be holding as the stream became narrower and the banks became less steep. With one conveniently placed rock, they hopped across, and Konohamaru even managed to stay dry this time. Reaching the road, they headed right.

The road seemed to be well-traveled or at least there were a lot of footprints and wheel tracks in the compacted dirt. They didn't talk much as they walked, but their silence was comfortable and Naruto even managed to push out of his mind what they were going to do once they reached the village. In the back of his mind, though, he knew they couldn't steal forever. Now that his stomach was almost full, he was kind of regretting breaking that window.

Eventually, the forest opened up and they were surrounded by rice fields. More importantly, however, was the sight of the village. Konohamaru broke into a run and Naruto shouted after him, "Hey wait up."

"I'll race you there," The younger boy shouted back.

Smiling, Naruto chased after him. He easily caught up to and then passed Konohamaru. The blonde didn't stop running until he entered the outskirts of the village, turning around, he looked back to see his friend still running after him a good ten feet behind, but still running. Then he passed him and spun around before announcing, "I win."

"What? I beat you by like a mile."

Konohamaru shook his head and smiled as he drew a line in the dirt with his foot. "The finish line was right here and you never passed it."

For a moment, Naruto was about to argue with him, but with his friend smiling like that he couldn't. Instead, he just ruffled Konohamaru's hair and said, "Come on let's take a look around."

Villages were only a vague memory to Naruto. He remembered he had been born in one and then he had spent some time in an even larger village, but those memories were vague. The orphanage he had lived in at Konoha had taken them to the park a lot, but always in groups. It really wasn't until his last year there that he had been able to venture into the village without constant supervision.

The House was what he remembered the most though. Three years was a long time after all. Still, it was almost instinct, though, that drew them to the market. The noise seemed to promise something and when Naruto saw all the different things that were for sale he was kind of excited, even if he couldn't afford a single one of them. Konohamaru seemed less excited by the sight as he slipped his hand into Naruto's as they entered the crowd.

For the next hour the two of them examined the market district. Naruto was really fascinated by everything. There were so many things, so many people and even Konohamaru seemed to loosen up a little, but still refused to let go of his hand. After about an hour of looking around, Naruto felt a pull on his hand.

"Let's go there."

Naruto glanced across the street where his friend was pointing and saw a small stall that sold toys. It was actually pretty small compared to the other shops. Like all the other stalls, it was open to the air and only had a cloth roof with several tables and shelves stocked with toys. "Sure," Naruto said kind of curious himself. The playroom at the house had had toys, of course, but not so many as this place did.

Konohamaru pulled him along, still not letting go of his hand and quickly glanced around the tables. Naruto just watched him, enjoying seeing his friend's eyes light up and then something seemed to catch his younger friend's eyes and he finally let go of his hand. Silently grateful, he wiped his sweaty palm against his shirt as Konohamaru picked up a plastic cube divided into nine colored squares.

The younger boy fiddled with it for a few seconds, twisting it around before saying, "What is this?" Naruto shrugged and was just about to say he didn't know when an older male voice spoke up.

"It's a puzzle cube." They both looked up to see a man sitting on a stool in the shadows. He leaned forward and made a twisting motion with his hands, "You see there are six colors on that cube. You move it around until you have all one color on all the sides. It's only five hundred Ryo," the man added.

"Cool," Konohamaru said twisting the sides around for a second before looking up at him and asking, "How many points do you think that is?"

Naruto stomach clenched as he wondered if Konohamaru really didn't understand that points wouldn't work here. He looked up at the man nervously and said, "We can't buy it."

The old man smiled and said, "If you don't have enough maybe you could ask your parents? It's not really that expensive and it can provide a real exercise for your brain."

Before he could make an excuse, a heavy hand landed on the blonde's shoulder and an unfamiliar male voice said, "I don't think their parents will be buying them anything anytime soon. Come on you two your family's bodyguard has been looking for you."

Naruto broke out into a cold sweat as he looked up into the face of a stern looking young man wearing a helmet. His eyes drifted down to the man's side where he wore a sword.

"Come on," the man said pulling on his shoulder, "I'll take you down to the station and then I'll find her."

Naruto's mind somehow made the connection that 'her' was the Madam, and if they went with this man, they would end up going back to the House and he couldn't let that happen. Fortunately, his years at the House had taught him an easy way to disable a man. Without thinking, he twisted around and hit the man in the crotch.

Taken by complete surprise, the man jumped back in pain. Not waiting to see that, Naruto grabbed Konohamaru's wrist and started running. The puzzle cube fell from his friend's hand as they dove into the crowd.

He pulled Konohamaru behind him, the younger boy stumbling as he bumped into people. Seeing an alley, Naruto headed for it as the man he had hit shouted for them to stop. Before he could reach the alley, though, something hit him in the head. It didn't hurt, but it caught him by surprise and he stumbled over his own feet, falling to the ground.

He reached up to try to pull whatever it was off, but as he grabbed the soft thing it shouted, "Found him," and then things got really weird.

* * *

Kaede had found where the two boys had their mini picnic, which wasn't far from the house they had robbed. Unfortunately, she didn't find many other signs of them so she returned to the stream, making the assumption that was the closest thing to a path they had. A little further downstream, though, she spotted half of a small footprint on the opposite bank, so she crossed over too. A little further away she saw a patch of disturbed leaves and cursed as they had apparently decided to leave the stream.

Following what subtle trail the two of them left, she came to a road. She was pretty confident she knew which way they would go from here, but not taking anything for granted, she didn't step onto the road until she examined it. There were many footprints and some were made by horses and others were made by people, but there were only a few that looked like they had been made by a child and they were all going in the same direction.

Trees lined the road and she took to the branches as she set out hoping to catch the two unaware. She jumped from tree branch to tree branch, keeping an eye out for her two charges, but although she passed a small caravan, they had no children with them. When she reached the village, though, she smiled to herself.

The village did look large enough to have some sort of police force and she could turn them to her cause. It didn't seem likely to her that the two of them would just pass through the town. After all, they had no plan, and if they had any supplies left, they probably wouldn't last them the day. It seemed she had finally had a lucky break.

Upon entering the village, she asked the first person she saw if there was a police station, and after receiving a positive answer, she asked for directions. It turned out the village was called Kobukai, which she only learned because the police station had a sign out front announcing that this was the headquarters of the Kobukai police force.

Stepping inside, she addressed the first person she saw. "Excuse me officer, but by any chance did you find two children wandering the streets?"

The man looked up from the report he was filling out with a legitimately concerned expression, "No, are your children lost?"

She smiled and started to spin her story. "Well, they're not mine really." She tapped her forehead protector with her finger and said, "You see my team and I were hired to guard a convoy. Well it's one of those family-owned ones you see and the head guy and his son had a pretty loud argument last night. This morning the kid was gone with his little brother. Apparently," she smiled sadly, "this is not the first time they've pulled this stunt. Anyway, his father asked me to go on ahead and bring them back. I was hoping you guys might've already picked them up."

The man shook his head sympathetically and said, "Sorry, but if they drifted into this village it is not like they would stand out right away."

She nodded, understanding and said, "All right. Their father said they usually come back in a day or so, but that doesn't mean he's not worried. They're pretty young and a lot of bad things happen to kids you know?"

The man nodded, and as she turned to leave, he said, "If you give us a description we could keep an eye out for them."

She resisted the urge to smile as she turned back around. "Actually, I have some pretty recent photos of them. Here," she said producing the two photos she had taken from the registry earlier.

As he took them he frowned and said, "They don't really look alike."

"Same father different mothers," she said casually. "They're close, though, if you find one the other one probably won't be too far."

The man nodded and said, "I'll make copies of these and I'll hand them out to the other officers on patrol. Don't worry we'll find them. I just hope their father doesn't go too hard on them. I got kids of my own so I can sympathize with him, but in the end their kids you know?"

"Yeah, just kids," she echoed quietly.

* * *

Jiraiya had not known many siblings in his lifetime. He knew many people who had siblings, but he rarely knew both of them and he found himself wondering if they were always as different as these two sisters were. Hinata, the older of the two, clearly had wanted to leave, but had been clearly scared of the toad. Hanabi had been the polar opposite. She had not wanted to leave and had to be persuaded by her sister, but at the same time she had wanted to ride the toad.

At first, he had thought that Hanabi's reluctance to leave was out of fear and he had tried to reassure her that he could protect them. However, it wasn't until he had done the math in his head that he had really realized what was wrong. Hanabi had lived in this place for nearly three years, which was only a little less than half her life. This place was her home and she did not want to leave it.

If her sister had not been there he wasn't sure what he would've done. It seemed the younger girl was fond of adventure stories of far-off places and noble heroes. Between the two of them, they had convinced Hanabi that this could be an adventure and she could always come back. That last part was a lie even if he was the only one who knew it.

Ever since his interrogation of that government official, there had been this growing knot of anger in his stomach. Knowing, in theory, what was going on here was one thing, but hearing what that man had done, it made it real. He heard a squeal of delight as the toad jumped into the air, again as it followed the smaller tracker toad. He looked down to see Hanabi smiling even as Hinata held her tight, clearly not having as much fun as her sister. He smiled at the sight. Well, at least these two were out of there.

As the toad reached the apex of its jump, Jiraiya's eyes spotted a settlement in the distance which caused him to grimace. If Naruto was in the village, he would have to go in on foot, as a man riding a toad with two girls would simply draw too much attention. Of course, he wasn't sure if he should take the girls in there with him. In truth, he didn't have much experience with kids. Sure, he had had a Genin team, but those had been ninjas in training where these two girls were simply civilians.

Weighing the pros and cons, he decided to leave them on the outskirts of the village with the toad to keep watch over them. "Land," he ordered just before hitting the ground. Sliding off the amphibian, he addressed the two girls. "Forgive me lovely ladies, but it seems as if Naruto has entered the village. This guy," he patted the toad, "would bring too much attention to it. Can you two stay here and keep him company?"

Hinata nodded and he suspected she understood what he was trying to do. Hanabi frowned and said, "Why can't we come with you?"

Her sister came to his rescue. "Hanabi if we went with him in the toad would be lonely."

The little girl frowned at this thought before sliding the ground and walking around to look into the toad's eyes. For a second, they stared at each other and then without saying a word, the toad opened its mouth and licked the girl who emitted something between a shriek and a laugh.

Seizing the opportunity, Jiraiya said, "I'll be back with Naruto and Konohamaru as soon as I can. You three stay here though."

He beat a hasty retreat and started to jog towards the village. Toads were surprisingly protective so he didn't have many reservations leaving the two girls with one. Reopening the cut on his thumb, he be summoned the tracker toad.

Before the smoke could clear this time, the little purple toad hopped straight up and shouted, "Why-did-you-do-that- I-almost-had-him!"

"That's good news. Is he in the village?"

"Yeah," the toad said hopping from leg to leg.

"Good, I'm going to have to follow you on foot so don't get too far ahead of me, okay?"

"Fine-fine-now-let's-go," he said, and without waiting, turned around and started hopping towards the village.

When they entered the village, the toad jumped onto the nearest roof. He tried to match the little purple one's speed, but as they drifted into the marketplace, it became harder as the crowd became dense. If this situation was different, he would've taken to the roofs himself, but on account of the civilians that there were, it would just draw too much attention.

"Stop!" A voice shouted from somewhere up ahead.

There was a commotion up ahead and when he tried to look over the crowd he saw a purple streak darting from a rooftop and into the streets. The toad had found Naruto. Realizing that he wouldn't be able to do this quietly, he jumped onto the roof of the building to get a better look at what was going on.

Jiraiya had only seen Naruto once before when he had just been a baby, but even then he had blonde hair and distinctive whisker marks on his face from his tenant. The kid who was on the ground was blonde, but the toad was blocking his face. Another kid younger than him was leaning over the blonde trying to pull off the frog. Jumping forward, he landed next to the two boys with the toad shouting, "Got-him-got-him."

Reaching down, he pulled the purple toad off of Naruto and smiled down at him. "Hi, you're not an easy one to find." The expression that flickered across the boy's face was one of terror which caused his grin to falter.

"Out of the way, police coming through."

Jiraiya turned just in time to see a police officer pushing his way through the growing crowd. This was not at all going as he had hoped, but in a way that was good. Things seemed to turn out better for him when he improvised.

The officer pushed his way through the crowd, and as his eyes landed on Jiraiya, his hand went to his sword, "Who were you?"

"My name is Jiraiya and I've been hired to find these two," he said with all the confidence he could muster, which was considerable.

The officer stared at him suspiciously and said, "I was told it was a female ninja looking for them."

"Well of course she would say that. She's the one that kidnapped them."

Their audience, which had been silently watching this drama unfold, suddenly broke out in numerous conversations. The officer gestured for silence with a wave of his hand. "That is not how the situation was described to me."

Jiraiya held up his hands, trying to appear reasonable. "Listen my job is to make sure these two are safe. Why don't we all go to the police station and we can sort the situation out there."

"All right," the officer said with a tinge of relief in his voice.

He smiled and turned to face the two boys, who had by this time climbed to their feet, and with nowhere to run, pushed their backs up against the wall. Naruto had pushed Konohamaru kind enough in what had to be vain effort to protect him. Jiraiya had to smile at as he took a step closer to them and lowered his tone so only the two of them could hear him. "If you don't want to go back to that place grab a hold of my arm now."

He couldn't read Naruto's expression, but he could see Konohamaru had a tight grip on the older boy. Then the blonde must've decided to trust him, he grabbed his forearm and a second later the three of them Body Flickered away, leaving behind only a puff of smoke and an extremely angry officer.

* * *

About a day ago, Naruto had been giving an old guy who liked to be called grandpa a blow job. At that time he had not expected the next day to be much different than that day or even the hundred days before it. Since then he had run away, broken into a house, gone to a market, had somehow been teleported, rode a giant toad and had met a trio of strange people.

Jiraiya had been the first of the trio he had met. The man was strange, but he seemed nice enough and he could summon toads large enough to carry five people, which was very cool. He had apparently also helped Hinata and Hanabi escape from the House, which was nice of him. In fact, he seemed like a very nice guy.

The second and third member of the trio he had met after a two-hour toad ride, which ended at a house in the middle of the woods. There was no road or path to this two-story house and it looked like as i,,f

it had been built out of nowhere. Two men had been standing outside. The one named Kakashi kept his entire face covered except for one of his eyes which was quite expressive. The other man's name was Tenzo and he was kind of scary even when he smiled.

Still, they all seemed nice to some extent and none of them seemed to have that look in their eye. He was used to having adults look at him in a certain way, but these three didn't look at him that way or even Hinata. It was strange, but the three of them sort of reminded him of Mitate who always used to take care of them when they were sick or in pain.

After introductions had been made, they had been shown into the house. The inside of the house was devoid of all furniture except for one little table where they had been served a meal. The meal itself was not as good as the food at the House, but none of them had eaten much that day and there was more than enough to fill each of their stomachs.

Once the four of them were filled, Jiraiya asked how exactly he and Konohamaru had managed to escape from the House. He told them what he remembered, but some of the details were vague to him and Konohamaru chimed in occasionally with his own observations like he had looked scary when he punched that one guy. Naruto noticed that the adults had shared looks during that part of his story, but he didn't understand why.

After that, Hinata and Hanabi had filled them in on how they got where they were. Then it was Jiraiya's turn to tell them what was going on. Naruto knew some of it. Konohagakure was a distant memory, but he remembered the Third, vaguely having only seen him during his entry ceremony to the Academy. He had also known that the Third had died, but he didn't know it had happened in something called a coup. After that part of the story, he sort of stopped paying attention.

Konohamaru had fallen asleep next to him and he had yawned, exhausted from the busy day. Jiraiya had cut his story short and suggested they go to bed. They were each given a sleeping bag, but only one was child size. Konohamaru was nudged awake for the walk to the bedroom and Naruto was relieved to see a window in the room. One of the things he learned was Konohamaru was afraid of the dark and he hoped the light provided by the stars was enough not to upset him.

The two boys took the side of the room near the window and the two girls the other side of the room. Both Naruto and Konohamaru had bigger sleeping bags and without discussing it, they laid one on the floor unzipped so they could use it as a blanket. Laying down, they pulled the other one over themselves and it was like they were sharing a bed.

Lying on his back, Naruto looked up at the stars with his arms folded behind his head. He felt a tug on his side and looked over at Konohamaru. The stars and moon gave Konohamaru's face a glow and the blonde was tempted to lean over and kiss him. Instead, he just rolled onto his side so they were now facing each other and said, "Yeah?"

"I'm not tired."

The blonde smiled, "I had to wake you up to put you to bed."

"Yeah, but I'm awake now. You know how it is."

"Well what do you want me to do about it?"

A knowing smile crossed Konohamaru's lips and sliding a little closer, he said, "This always works for me."

A small hand worked its way under Naruto's waistband, lowering his boxers which were the only clothing he was wearing at the moment. With very little encouragement, he became stiff, and little fingers gently stroked their way up and down his shaft. The caresses were slow at first, but they sped up. It didn't take long for him to start to feel his rising orgasm. It started as a distant tingling sensation and became stronger until he found his hips pushing forward into his friend's hand. Naruto bit his lip to keep himself from making too much noise, and after a few seconds, the sensation slowly started to subside.

After a moment, he reached out to return the favor. When he found Konohamaru's package, Naruto noticed that it had already been unwrapped. The boy must've pulled his boxers down before he had touched him. For some reason he found that cute and he smiled as he evened their score. Holding it like a cigarette, he only used two fingers to bring the smaller boy to orgasm. Even though he was tired, he tried to put as much effort as he could behind it, and seeing the color rush into his friend's cheeks brought a smile to his own lips.

When Konohamaru had come down from his orgasmic high, he moved a little closer to him and Naruto threw an arm around him in return. After a second, his friend said, "What are we going to do tomorrow?"

"I don't know," Naruto answered truthfully.

"I'm scared."

"Don't be, I'll protect you." Naruto said hoping he sounded more convincing than he felt.

* * *

Jiraiya closed the door behind himself as he stepped outside to join the other two ninjas. "One of us should've bought some sake. We've actually managed to accomplish something today."

"Yes, but we seem to have more people than we were prepared for," Tenzo said pessimistically.

Kakashi shrugged and looked up into the star filled sky. "I can teach one sister just as well as I can teach two to activate the seal. It's better to have both of them anyways."

Tenzo nodded and added, "It is fortunate you saw it activated once and were able to copy it."

"Not really. It's a terrible thing," Kakashi said quickly.

"It can't be helped. We're running out of time." Jiraiya answered.

The other two men nodded knowingly. Konoha had grown strong under Danzo's leadership and that was becoming a problem. Other hidden villages were becoming resentful of their power and influence. Right now they could easily fight off any one of the major villages, but if two or three of the major ones joined forces then things could become very dicey. No one wanted to see another great war, but that was where things were heading.

"Well, what are we going to do with the other two," Tenzo said breaching the subject for this late night meeting.

"I'll take Naruto. I'll give him a crash course in being a ninja. If he's anything like his father he'll pick up enough that he might be useful in a few months," he said. "One of you can take Konohamaru."

The group was silent for a second before Kakashi spoke up. "I don't think we'll be able to do that."

"Why not?"

"Well," Kakashi said drawing out the word, "You may not have noticed, but Naruto has not let Konohamaru out of his sight. He was also the reason he ran away from that place. I don't think he would let us separate them."

Jiraiya grimaced, not really wanting a little kid to tag along, even if he was the grandson of his sensei. "Fine, I'll take both of them."

"I hate to disagree with you but, maybe it would be best if they traveled with me," Tenzo suggested. "The way he described escaping makes me think he was somehow unconsciously tapping into the fox's power."

"I have a seal that will work just as well if something happens," he said dismissively.

"Besides Tenzo," Kakashi said putting a hand on his shoulder, "you scare kids."

Tenzo's shoulders slumped, which caused Jiraiya to laugh. "All right, if there's something else then we'll all go our separate ways tomorrow." The other two ninjas nodded as they went back into the house.

* * *

Authors note: Anyway I have a poll up on my profile which I would like everyone to take after you leave a review.


	7. Parting Ways

Naruto awoke early the next day, his mouth parched. Glancing out the window, he could see that the sun was already up. Turning over to his side he saw Konohamaru had sprawled out in his sleep. He smiled to himself and slipped out from beneath the covers before remembering he had not pulled his boxers up after last night's activities. Pulling them up, he stood prepared to go in search of something to drink.

Just as he was about to leave the room, he heard Hanabi call out, "Naruto?"

He paused and looked down at her and said, "I'm just getting a drink. Go back to sleep."

"I'm not tired," she said defiantly, "but I'm thirsty too," she added crawling out of the child size sleeping bag. Unlike her sister who had been wearing a dress, Hanabi had been wearing a simple tank top with shorts. Now she was just wearing the tank top and panties that were practically see-through.

"Fine, but be quiet. I don't know if anyone else is sleeping."

She nodded and they went downstairs as quietly as they could with their bare feet slapping against the wood. Last night, they had been served tea from a thermos and this morning it was full, so someone had filled it once they'd gone to bed. Naruto poured both of them a cup full and they headed back upstairs.

He didn't want to leave Konohamaru alone because he still wasn't too sure about these guys yet. They seemed nice and he sort of trusted them, but, well, people could change. He had learned that lesson repeatedly.

When Naruto had left the room he hadn't bothered to close the door. He was trying to be quiet and not wake the other two, so instead of going back into the room, he just sat down in the hallway with his back against the opposite wall. Hanabi followed his example and they quietly sipped at their bitter tea for a minute.

"I heard you two last night," Hanabi said abruptly.

Naruto smiled, "Sorry, did we keep you awake?"

She shook her head and brushed her leg against Naruto's, "No, but I wanted to ask if you wanted to do something with me? I've always liked working with you."

He watched her foot slide up to his knee and then back down. It felt nice, but he really wasn't in the mood. "I'm kind of tired."

"All right," she said with an overdramatic sigh as she withdrew her foot. "Why did you pare off with Konohamaru anyways?"

"I like him," Naruto said defensively. He was suddenly reminded of what Sakura had told him only two days ago. Then he frowned, had it really only been two days? It felt like a week had gone by. Pushing that aside for now, he asked, "Are you friends with Konohamaru?"

Hanabi shrugged, "Yeah, most of the time. Why are you asking?"

He frowned at that answer, "I was talking to Sakura and she kinda told me that he didn't have any other friends besides me."

His companion frowned at this as if she was scouring her memory. "I don't know," she said finally.

That was not the answer he had been expecting, but before he could even think about it that long a voice called out, "Oh, you're up." He turned to see Kakashi's head sticking out from around the stairwell. "I thought I heard someone downstairs a moment ago. Why don't you get dressed and come down for breakfast?"

"Yeah, sure," Naruto said.

Several minutes later, the four of them came down for breakfast dressed in the clothes some of them had been wearing for two days now. The breakfast was quiet and when they finished Jiraiya cleared his throat and said, "I guess we should tell you what's going on. Now you know about Danzo and his takeover of ours and your home village."

"Yeah, he's the bad guy," Hanabi chimed in.

Jiraiya smiled at this and said, "That's right and we want to get rid of him. If we can get rid of him we could very well prevent war and," he paused for a second before adding, "shutting down the place you were at."

That caught Naruto's attention, but before he could comment Hanabi said, "But where will we go then?"

"Don't worry you'll be taken care of you and everyone else there. Konoha's orphanage is a really good place for you." Jiraiya answered.

"What will we have to do their?" She asked suspiciously.

The smile that had been plastered on Jiraiya's face fell and he said in a very serious tone. "You won't have to do anything. No matter what we will keep you safe and you won't have to um, entertain anyone like you used to. However, we would like you to do something if you're willing."

"Which is?" Naruto asked.

"I went to that place looking for the two of you," he gestured towards Hanabi and Hinata. "Do you remember the branch members of your family?"

"Not really," Hanabi said.

"Yeah," Hinata answered.

"Well, the branch members of your families are strong supporters of Danzo. They are not really bad people, but as long as they support him they could make things difficult for us. When we take Danzo down, we want there to be a minimum of bloodshed and you two girls can help us with that," he said.

"How?" Hanabi asked.

"You can incapacitate them," Kakashi said. "I can teach you how."

"What does incapacitate mean?" Hanabi asked again to Naruto's delight because he didn't know the word either.

The cyclop's single eye wandered up to the ceiling and said, "It means they won't be able to hurt anyone for a while."

"Oh, okay," Hanabi said grinning.

"Wait, what about us then?" Naruto asked.

Jiraiya turned to face him, his expression was unreadable to the blonde. "Naruto, I knew your father and your mother for that matter. They were both great ninjas and I'm sure you inherited some of that talent. I want to train you to be one like them, but if you don't want to, at least let me teach you enough so you can defend yourself."

"Hey, what about me," Konohamaru spoke up from Naruto side.

The white haired man seemed surprised by the question. "Well, I'm not sure if you would be able to handle the same training. You are a lot younger than Naruto Konohamaru."

"If he can do it, I can do it," Konohamaru said.

"Yeah," Naruto said coming to his friend's defense.

Jiraiya shook his head, but in defeat and not disagreement. "Fine, but it's not going to be easy."

Naruto felt two little arms wrap around him and he turned to grin at Konohamaru to celebrate their small victory, but instead he suddenly found himself in a kiss. It was brief and hardly more than a peck, but when he turned back the three adults were looking at him. "What?"

"It's nothing," Kakashi said breaking the silence. "It's just were going to have to split you up into two groups and were not sure how to break the news to you," he said with his eye turning upwards in a smile.

"What! Why?" Naruto demanded.

"Well, it's simply that we have to go in different directions. Remember Danzo knows what we want to do and he is trying to stop us."

"But-"

"Naruto," Hinata spoke up for the first time since the conversation had begun. "We can trust them. I know it."

He looked at her and she was smiling in that small way of hers which he always knew was genuine. He leaned back and said, "Whatever you say."

"All right then. We'll get going in a few minutes then," Jiraiya said.

Naruto's second ride on an oversized toad was not as exhilarating as his first, although Konohamaru seemed to enjoy it. They rode for most of the day heading north and he only occasionally caught a glimpse of a village or a road, but the fact that the world was that big was a bit disorienting to him. Part of him had just wanted to lay down, but the desire wasn't that strong and the changing scenery was nice.

A few hours before dark, they dismounted and walked along a road into a town. Jiraiya had told them not to mention anything about riding a toad and then he treated them to a large dinner. He reserved two rooms at the local inn, and as they walked to the rooms he told them, "Be sure to get a lot of rest. Tomorrow I'm going to take you shopping and then we can finally start your training."

"Shopping?" Naruto questioned, "But we don't have any money." He looked down at Konohamaru as he said this, but his friend didn't seem to be paying attention as he craned his neck to look at a painting they passed.

"Don't worry. Surprisingly, Ryo is not one of our problems. I'll cover everything and you need more than one change of clothes plus some decent footwear."

Naruto looked down at his feet and admitted that his sandals had seen better days. Still, part of him was expecting there still to be a catch. Most people were not nice without expecting something in return. Mitate was the only exception he could think of and people like him seemed to be rare.

Jiraiya held out a key in front of Naruto's face and said, "I'm just one room over so if you need anything just knock. For the record though, we will be camping most of the time, so enjoy this because it won't happen again for a while."

"Yeah, sure," He said stopping at the door with the same number the key had on it.

"Oh, Naruto can I talk to you for a minute privately," Jiraiya asked walking to the next room.

"Okay," he said opening the room door for Konohamaru and saying, "I'll be back in a minute."

His friend grinned and said, "I'll try to wait up."

Naruto slowly walked over to Jiraiya half expecting that catch to show up right now. The man fiddled with the door for a moment before it opened and said, "Come on in." He followed him in, and when the lights flickered on Jiraiya sat on the corner of the bed and asked, "Konohamaru kissed you earlier today didn't he?"

The blonde actually had to think for a minute before answering, "Yeah."

"And you are fine with that?"

Naruto frowned; this was not what he had been expecting. He folded his arms and leaned back against the wall as he said, "Yeah, I like him."

"Your friends then?"

"Of course," he didn't know why but this line of questioning was starting to make him angry.

The man paused before asking, "Is that all you do?

A lot of clients would ask him what he had done in the past with other people and he always answered before in general terms. This time, though, he was asking about Konohamaru specifically. "Why the hell do you care?"

The older man actually seemed too wince at those words and he raised his one hand to rub his temple. "Naruto, I'm sorry. I don't really care what you two do as long as you're both safe. It's just if you and Konohamaru kiss each other when we're in a village, it will draw attention to us. We're trying to avoid that so just keep it private okay?"

He glared at the older man and snapped, "Fine. Is that it?"

Jiraiya let out a sigh and said, "Yeah, go get some sleep."

Naruto turned and left the room, slamming the door behind him. Unfortunately, the sound wasn't very satisfying and he felt the urge to punch a wall. His fists were clinched, but there wasn't anything that looked like it would break. Instead, he tried to open the door to his room, but the lock was a dead bolt and he had to take out the key.

Storming into the room, Naruto was about to let out a scream of frustration when he saw Konohamaru. The boy was laying on one of the twin beds naked with his hands behind his head and his knees in the air. He was smiling, and as sudden as Naruto's anger had come over him, it left.

A smile creeped across his lips and he jumped on to the bed next to his friend, laying a hand on his chest and giving him a kiss. The other boy rolled into the kiss and as the blonde's arms wrapped around him, the smaller boy, he felt himself become hard.

Konohamaru broke the kiss and said into his ear, "I want to try the lazy boy position."

Naruto pulled back and looked at his friend in shock. "Where did you learn about that?"

"Before the last poker game," Konohamaru answered, "we were waiting for you and Kiba told me about it."

Naruto wondered how that topic of conversation had come up. "Well, I can try, but I'm not sure if you'll like it that much."

"No, I want to try doing it to you."

"Really?" Naruto asked. He had never been on the receiving end before and if Konohamaru was willing to try he wouldn't turn it down. Then he remembered, "Wait we don't have anything for lubricant."

His young friend rolled over and leaned over the bed. He rolled back grinning and said, "Look at what I found."

Naruto glanced at the plastic bottle in his friend's hand and winced. "Konohamaru, soap doesn't really work."

The younger boy's expression fell and he protested, "But it is really slippery."

"Yeah, and it really burns too," Naruto answered, smiling at his friend's inexperience.

Konohamaru threw the bottle onto the other bed, and in a huff puffed out his cheeks and said, "They don't have any of the other stuff."

He didn't like disappointing Konohamaru and he leaned over and gave him a peck on the forehead. "Let me take a look."

Rolling out of the bed, he darted into the bathroom his erection leading the way. On occasion he had used other lubricants besides what they were told to use, but that was more of a client preference thing. Then his eyes fell on a small bottle of complementary shampoo and he grinned. That would work.

Grabbing the bottle, he was about to run back to Konohamaru when he remembered he was still wearing his clothes. Quickly solving that problem, he left the bathroom with bottle in hand. "I found something, but it's not as good as the usual stuff."

"All right," Konohamaru said kneeling on the bed.

Lying on his back, Naruto bent his knees into the air and gave the bottle to his friend. Konohamaru applied the shampoo liberally and then stood up on the bed. Stepping over him, he slowly lowered himself using his bent legs to guide them to his destination. Naruto helped a little with the final aiming, but his friend was surprisingly adept at this part.

It took Konohamaru a minute to take Naruto's entire length, but when he bottomed out they were both panting. Naruto's eyes had slid shut at some point and when he opened them he saw his friend had his own erection sticking straight out.

His hand started to drift toward it, but Konohamaru snapped, "No, I want to do this right."

Naruto smiled and diverted his hand, stroking his friend's calf as he said, "All right."

A moment later, Konohamaru started to squeeze his butt cheeks together which made the already tight passage even tighter. Naruto resisted the urge to thrust upwards which was almost impossible as Konohamaru let his muscles relax only to tighten again.

Naruto wanted to stroke something and he allowed his fingers to trace up and down his friends calf as Konohamaru moved his own hand to provide himself with relief. It was quiet in the room with only the occasional grunt or groan from one of the two boys. Konohamaru's orgasm struck first, and as every single muscle tightened in his body Naruto followed with a wordless cry.

The younger body collapsed onto the older as they both panted with the ecstasy of their relief. After a moment, Konohamaru questioned, "Did I do okay?"

"Amazing," Naruto said breathlessly.

"Good," Konohamaru answered. "I like making you happy."

He pressed his lips against his friend's cheek which was warm and said, "Next time, I'll make you happy." Konohamaru's response was a snore.

Kaede's office was only illuminated by a single desk lamp. She had returned from her hunt several hours ago only to find yet another disaster. Both of the Hyuga sisters had vanished. Supposedly, a client had requested both of them for a honeymoon. That was fairly normal, but after several hours of no meals ordered, they had become suspicious and sent someone upstairs to check on them. They found the room empty. She supposed there was the off chance that someone had abducted them from here, but given what had happened in the market, she suspected the rebels were involved here to.

At least those were her conclusions that she had stated in her report to Konoha. Now, she waited for a response. Considering her primary objectives had been to keep those four out of the hands of Danzo, and by extension Konoha's enemies, she would be most likely recalled from her post. Part of her mind knew she should be preparing for such an event, but she found herself unable to get out of her chair.

Her thoughts instead dwelled on what would become of this place and the children still here. She was bringing in a lot of Ryo, but if she was replaced the next person might decide they could make the children work even harder and make more. She didn't want that to happen. Maybe she could still find a way. Damn, she wanted a drink.

Her office door swung silently open just wide enough for a man to sidestep into the room. He wore a mask and trench coat. She had met a few of Danzo's most trusted people over the years she had operated this place, but it took her a moment to put a name to this guy.

"Hyo," she finally said.

"You have failed in your mission." The man said without any preamble.

"Yes," she answered. There was no reason to dance around the truth.

"I checked with the police in Kobukai. They are quite confused about the whole situation, but did you stick around to get a description of the man?"

She frowned, not sure where this line of questioning was leading. "No, the police were understandingly hostile as they didn't know who to believe. There was no purpose in me sticking around."

The man nodded, but whether it was in understanding or just acknowledgment she couldn't tell. "Barring some superficial differences, he fits the description of Jiraiya in passing. When one of the officers was shown a picture of him, he said that they did look alike, but couldn't be positive which considering he's is an intelligence expert should only be expected."

Jiraiya, she thought, he was a living legend. It was probably best that she had not found Naruto and Konohamaru before he had. Then she felt ice grip her stomach. It was too much of a coincidence that all four of her charges would disappear so close to each other. The puzzle pieces quickly fell into place. Jiraiya had been the one to rent the Hyuga sisters and they had, of course, known Naruto and Konohamaru weren't there anymore. He must've tracked them down from there. If they weren't talking about Jiraiya here she wouldn't think it was possible.

"Which bears the question," Hyo continued, "how are you positive that Naruto escaped on his own or more precisely why was he able to access the demon's power?"

It took Kaede a second to pull out of her thoughts and answer the question. "Naruto is extremely empathetic. For him, someone else's pain can be worse than his own. I put Konohamaru in a situation he would not have wanted to be in and the fact that they had grown close fed Naruto's desire to protect him." She paused for a second, but decided that she had answered truthfully enough.

"I see. It seems there was a series of unforeseeable events."

'Unforeseeable events' she thought wryly. The phrase she would've used involved the word cluster. "Am I being recalled?"

Hyo paused for a second, which was odd, but said, "I was given discretion to either recall you or keep you in place depending on what I found. You did make errors, but they cannot be fixed by replacing you nor can they be compounded by not replacing you. Giving your success in running this brothel it seemed you made a better merchant then a ninja. You are to continue in your post until ordered otherwise."

"I understand," she said feeling both relieved and not at the same time.

* * *

Authors note: I've never tried the shampoo thing although have heard from others who have. Personally if you ever find yourself in such a situation I would stick with vaseline. This concludes your public service announcement and leave a review please!


	8. Three Months Later

Shikamaru Nara walked down the streets of Konohagakure on his way to meet up with his team. For a second his eyes drifted towards the sky and the white puffy clouds, but the sight of the clouds only reminded him of the loss of his cloud gazing friend. His eyes quickly darted back down earthwards.

The accident had happened months ago, but he still missed Choji like it had happened yesterday. Everyone told him that he should simply let it go. It was an accident and there was nothing anyone could do about it. However, even after he had read the final report for himself, there was something about the incident that didn't seem right to him.

It seemed incredible that a simple wilderness survival exercise could turn deadly for two students. Particularly since the other student had been Sasuke who had never been anything but top of the class. Yet the same mudslide had taken them both. It didn't seem right to him. He shook his head to clear it. He was just rehashing the same ground again and it was getting him nowhere.

"Shikamaru you beat sensei here," Ino shouted from underneath the tree their team was meeting at today.

He waved a greeting and as he got closer said, "Sensei is running late? That's unusual for her."

"Yeah, you're usually the one holding us up," Ino said with an over dramatic sigh.

"I've never been late. I just don't show up early," Shikamaru said knowing that Ino was just trying to bait him. They had been a team for about six months now and in a way he didn't really understand they had meshed.

"True, but sometimes we could start our training earlier if you showed up earlier," Shino said from where he leaned against the tree's trunk.

He sighed, "I'm not a morning person, but, since you two are being so troublesome about it, I'll show up early tomorrow."

Before the brief conversation between the three of them could die, a soft voice spoke up from behind him, "Sorry I'm late."

Shikamaru turned around and said in almost synchronicity with his teammates, "Good morning Kurenai sensei."

"Good morning," she said finishing their morning ritual. "I just got out of a meeting with the Hokage regarding this team which was why I was late."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow in surprise. There had been a meeting about his team? "Is everything okay?"

Kurenai nodded, "Yes of course, but I do have a question for you three. As you know Konoha will be hosting the Chunin Exam in about three months. We would like to have a good showing and the Hokage sees promise in this team, if you agree to participate."

"He really thinks that about us?" Ino said voicing Shikamaru's exact thoughts.

"Yes Ino. He believes you will."

"Excuse me sensei," Shino said, "but I believe to participate in the exam, it is required for a team to have eight D-ranked missions completed successfully along with at least one C- ranked mission which we have not done."

She smiled as she answered, "Yes you are right Shino, but if you agree there is a C- ranked mission waiting for us to accept it today. If you three all agree."

The trio was silent for a moment, but then Shino said, "I would be willing to give it a try."

"Yeah me too," Ino added. "I mean if the Hokage thinks we can, we might as well try."

Shikamaru could feel the eyes of everyone fall on him and while he didn't have any interest in taking the exam himself, he didn't want to be the one to hold everyone else up. Mentally, he sighed and said troublesome to himself before saying out loud, "All right."

"Well, since it's unanimous meet me at Mission Hall in fifteen minutes. The mission should take a little more than a month so pack accordingly." With that said Kurenai made a hand sign and disappeared with a cloud of smoke.

Her quick disappearance proved she knew her team well as Ino complained loudly, "A month! What type of mission takes a month? I mean what about clean clothes? I don't want to smell you two for a month."

"I should hurry, my family lives pretty far from here," Shino said beating a hasty retreat.

"Yeah, mine too," Shikamaru said leaving Ino behind to complain to herself.

Shikamaru's mother was the type of woman who liked to be prepared. Every week she made sure her son packed a bag suitable for a long mission, saying, "You never know when you will have to get up and leave in a hurry."

He considered it a real drag, but because of his mother's caution, he only had to grab his bag and leave a note on the fridge saying, have mission month-long love Shikamaru. It was his first time leaving such a note, although, he was used to finding them from his parents and it felt kind of weird. He actually felt like a ninja for the first time since he received his forehead protector.

Arriving at Mission Hall before either of his two teammates, he ended up waiting alone with his sensei. For a second, he thought of trying to get a few more details out of her about the mission, but figured he would just have to hear it all over again once his other two teammates showed up. Shino showed up a few minutes after he did and Ino barely managed to make it in under the fifteen minute window.

Kurenai then led them into Mission Hall which had almost become a familiar sight to Shikamaru. He had been here eight times before to receive the dullest of D-ranked missions and this time the room was no different. Danzou, the leader of their village, looked up at the entrance and said in a raspy voice, "You chose to accept the mission, good."

Like the other eight times Shikamaru had seen their Hokage this close, he found his eyes wandering to the scar on his throat. It moved up and down when he spoke and it sort of reminded him of a chicken. There were rumors about the scar. Some said it wasn't an old battle injury like the loss of his eye or his arm, but more recent. He always meant to ask his father about it, but it wasn't like it was important.

A man came in from the side door and he looked like he was ready to go on a trip somewhere. He eyed them and Shikamaru had the impression, he didn't like what he saw.

"This man is Tazuna, an engineer building a very important bridge in his home country of Wave. You are to escort him back there and continue to guard him and his work site from bandits and thieves. It is estimated that this mission will last a month though that is not a firm date. Your resulting pay will be adjusted accordingly. Any questions?"

"Yeah, I got one," their clients said taking a swig from a sake bottle. "Why are you having kids protect me. They look like they're only a few years older than my grandson."

Shikamaru definitely didn't like this man, but fortunately Kurenai stood up for her team. "Tazuna Sir, I understand your reluctance to believe that these three that look so much like children could fight off bandits, but I assure you they are skilled. Each of them comes from a family of ninjas and from a very young age has been trained in deadly arts. In short, no one would want to meet any of these three in a dark alley."

Tazuna stared at them for a minute, but was either convinced by their sensei's speech or simply didn't see another option as he shrugged in acceptance. Shikamaru could tell, though, that Ino did not like this client. One of the things he had learned about her was that she did take pride in her skills, even if it wasn't always self-evident.

Kurenai and Tazuna quickly discussed some minor details about their travel arrangements and then they set off. It wasn't until they passed the gates of Konoha that his team fell into a formation around the client. Shino took the point, walking a good ten feet in front of them and surreptitiously leading his bugs out to scout on ahead. Ino and he flanked their client with their sensei bringing up the rear.

They continued on this way for nearly an hour before their client finally broke the silence. "Sorry, about before. It really looks like you know what you're doing."

"Of course we know. It's what we've been trained to do," Ino sneered.

Shikamaru quickly added, "It's understandable. Being a ninja is just one of those things that best to start when you're young."

"Do you have any choice then? I mean in being a ninja. When I was your age I had no clue of what I wanted to be," Tazuna said taking a swig from his bottle.

"It's a living," he answered with a shrug.

"Technically no one's forcing them," Kurenai spoke up from the rear.

"Technically," the man echoed not sounding convinced.

"Well, in these three circumstances they are coming from a long line of ninjas. I suppose there's a certain family pressure there, but if any of them said tomorrow that they quit, that would be the end of it. Even if their families objected the village would support their decision simply because if a ninja's heart really isn't in it they tend to get people killed."

Or worse, Shikamaru added in his head thinking of some entries he had read in the Bingo book.

"Still, how can you tell this is what you want?"

"It's a pretty good living," Ino said surprising everyone. She seemed to notice this and added, "My dad's a ninja, but my mom is a civilian. She owns a flower shop, but I know my dad makes more than her."

"So how young do you guys start out," the man asked trying to make conversation.

Kurenai answered the question for her students. "Well, strictly speaking they start at age six, but their first two years at the Academy isn't much different than any schooling. There's a little more emphasis on physical conditioning and they do learn how to handle weapons, even if none have sharp edges though."

"Are all hidden villages like that?"

Their sensei paused here which caught Shikamaru's attention as he wasn't really sure how other villages handled training. "For the most part we all follow the same formula now. However, our village is different in one aspect. Usually at the age of twelve students graduate from their respective academies and become Genin. They're put on teams for further training and that is how it used to be in our village too, but in recent years it has changed."

"Change," Tazuna said sounding interested.

"Yes. You see the last year of the Academy is actually only three months instead of the standard year. There is no real graduation exam anymore and simply all students are put on Genin teams for a minimum of three months. Most teams stick together, but a few students begin to specialize. For example, if their fighting skills really aren't up to snuff, but they are intelligent they might start to be trained as an analyst for intelligence or code breaking. If they have extraordinarily good chakra control perhaps they'll be sent over to the medical corps to become a doctor or nurse. Those who stay on their teams pursue a more general training and will eventually become of what most people think of as a ninja."

Tazuna was silent for a minute before saying, "That sounds reasonable. Why is it that only your village does it?"

"Because it costs Ryo," she replied. "During those three months, they are directly overseen by a Jonin which is the highest-ranking ninja that can be given a mission. Not all villages can afford to do that."

"But, I checked around. Konohagakure has the cheapest rates. How do you manage that?"

Shikamaru was kind of interested in hearing the answer to that too, but before his sensei could answer that question she shouted, "Scatter!"

His training kicked in and he jumped off the road into the knee-high grass. As he landed he rolled, losing his pack to free up his movements. He felt and heard an explosion before sparing a glance over to where they had been. Where their client had been standing was a small crater. However, no one seemed hurt. Ino had jumped to the other side of the road while Kurenai had jumped back, pulling the client along with her. Shino, who had been in no danger, was crouched in the middle of the road.

"I missed," an unfamiliar raspy voice said.

Shikamaru turned towards the voice which had come from behind the group. The man was wearing a cloak that obscured his features, but he could see that he was holding two strange looking swords. Strangest of all, though, was that the man was just standing there even after he launched an attack. It was so counterintuitive to everything he had learned that he immediately thought he had to be a distraction, but after a few seconds no other attacks came.

"Just have to kill the old man, but the others are getting in the way."

Is this guy talking to himself Shikamaru thought? Great, they had been attacked by some crazy ninja guy.

"Shikamaru," Ino whispered from across the road, "anytime you're ready."

The young Genin shook his head. He could tell there was something not right about the situation, but his team had practiced capturing individuals like this. With the grass hiding his hands, Shikamaru extended his shadow, but not directly at their target. Instead, he sent it to the woods towards his right so he could simultaneously extend his shadow while hiding its approach from his target. When he was in striking range, he shifted his weight which was a signal to Ino who signaled Shino to attack.

What happened next was almost perfect. A swarm of insects flew out of the woods to buzz around their enemies head. It was supposed to be a distraction and it worked, but at a cost. The man performed a quick Jutsu that sent electricity across his body which basically made him a giant bug zapper. That didn't matter, though, as at that very second his shadow darted out from the woods, only to have him jump away at the very last second.

He sent his shadow after him, but the man was surprisingly agile, flipping across the field while simultaneously blocking the kunai that both Ino and Kurenai were throwing at him. Landing on the opposite end of the field, he snarled, "I'll kill you later," and flipped into the trees disappearing.

From start to finish, the whole attack had happened in less than five minutes and Shikamaru was left feeling kind of stunned. Had that really been a battle? He wasn't sure, but once he was sure that the man wasn't coming back he got up and headed towards his sensei as did his other two teammates.

She was glaring at Tazuna who was looking guilty. "That was no ordinary bandit. That was a ninja and he was coming after you. Why?"

The man shifted, clearly uncomfortable and after a moment said, "Well, I wasn't sure, but somebody may want me dead."

"Why would someone hire an assassin to kill you? You're an engineer building a bridge. What haven't you told us?" Kurenai demanded in a tone none of her students had ever heard her use before.

The man nodded slowly, almost to himself. "I am just building a bridge and that's why there are people who want me dead." He told them the story of his country and of a little man with big ambitions. Then he told them the trials and tribulations of building his little bridge and the threats his workers had endured. The villain of the story seemed to lack any scruples, sinking as low as he needed to maintain his monopoly.

"Then a few months ago Gato died." Tazuna paused here in his story for a second as if savoring the moment. "We thought it was a godsend and for a while work went into overdrive. For a while we didn't have any problems, but someone must've finally taken over the old organization and it's happening all over again."

The man straightened and said desperately, "Were only two weeks away from completion if I could get all my workers back. I just need a little time."

Shikamaru had listened to the man's story and he really did want to help, but when he looked over at his sensei she was shaking her head. "Why didn't you tell us this? This mission is far beyond the scope of a Genin team. It's B-ranked at the least maybe even A."

"I would have," the man said cutting her off, "but we can't afford one of those missions. I could hardly afford this one."

There was a long pause and Shikamaru watched the stoic expression of his sensei, knowing her well enough that her outward calm demeanor was not what she was feeling. He was pretty sure what she was going to say, but the words still surprised even him.

"I'm sorry, but it would be irresponsible of me to continue this mission knowing what I know now. Even if we were to succeed I would certainly be relieved of command of this team and if one of you were killed, I couldn't live with myself."

"Sensei," Ino said speaking up, "let's try. I'll accept the risk."

"Ino," Kurenai cut her off sharply. "That is noble of you, but I hit that man with two Genjutsu and he shrugged them off as if he didn't even notice them. Now that I think about it I think I remember where I have seen those particular swords from before too. They're very unique and I believe they were specially made for one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. That means that man is an elite assassin. Don't be mistaken, he allowed us to live, this time."

"Couldn't the village set up some sort of payment system," Shino ventured. "It's not like they couldn't pay one day for a higher ranked mission."

"No, there's not a chance of that happening," Kurenai answered. "It would set a precedent and no hidden village could survive with such a system of payment." She paused for a moment and Shikamaru wondered if she was expecting him to voice an objection. After a moment, she continued, "For what it's worth, I am truly sorry. If things were different, well they're not," she said lowering her head

"Yeah, I get it," Tazuna said.

"All right, let's go home."

Walking past Tazuna was hard. He wanted to shout, to say he didn't care about the damn risks, but he fell in behind his sensei because even though he had been moved by the man's story, he understood why it couldn't be. Glancing backwards once, he saw the man, who was now slumped, shouldered. When he turned back around he heard the shattering of what sounded like a bottle against the ground and winced. He did understand why they couldn't continue the mission, but doing the right thing had never felt so bad before.

* * *

Naruto stood alone in a quiet forest. Then, with one quick movement, he drew three kunai, throwing them at a tree. A second later, he groaned in disappointment. Only one of the kunai had stuck to the tree, while another had bounced off of it and the third had missed altogether. He went to retrieve his weapons and tried to console himself with the thought that a few months ago he wouldn't have even been able to get one in the tree. Jiraiya said he was doing pretty well with throwing weapons, but he wanted to be able to throw three at once and hit three different targets.

Over the last three months, Naruto had found that he liked training. It gave him a sense of power. It was nowhere near how he felt when he had taken Konohamaru away from the House, but it was something and he liked it.

Jiraiya's training schedule was a lot different than what he remembered at the Academy. Of course, back then he didn't remember paying all that much attention when he was in class. Apparently, traditionally there were eighteen disciplines to become a ninja, but the Academy only taught nine of those. His abbreviated training was only to cover five of those disciplines or so Jiraiya had explained to him and Konohamaru on their first day of training.

Naruto was not sure, but when he had been attending the Academy, he probably would've preferred this abbreviated training. However, now he held a secret desire and that was he wanted to learn all of the eighteen disciplines and more. In his mind he hadn't quite fully worked out the reasoning for that, but somehow he had decided that he wanted to be strong enough to set his own rules.

Of course, he would need more than just the eighteen disciplines. Naruto knew he would need to be strong and that too was covered in Jiraiya's training. A smile crossed his lips as he bent over to pick up the kunai that had missed the tree. He and Konohamaru had never been fat, but he could tell they were developing muscles.

Their training had so far lasted only three months and in that time much of his suspicions of Jiraiya had faded. The man was nice to them and only seemed to demand that they try their hardest in return. Jiraiya had even known his birthday and they had celebrated accordingly. They had gone into a town where he and Konohamaru had been treated to a meal consisting almost entirely of junk food. They had then rented a room at an Inn where Jiraiya had announced he had no intention of returning before dawn.

The thought of that night could still bring a smile to his face. Jiraiya had warned about kissing in public and when they were in a town Naruto tried to remember to do that. However, he also picked up on the fact that their sensei wasn't comfortable with them kissing in front of him either. He might've been more annoyed by that if a mysterious bottle of lube had not appeared in the pack he carried the day he had received it.

It was small things like that which helped build trust between the three of them. The man's acts of kindness were at often times small, but never really stated. They weren't conditional either, like the candy bars had been at the House. About the only time he ever made a big deal about doing something for them was with Konohamaru's lamp. After one dark night, which had almost sent Konohamaru into a panic, the man had gone into a small village and purchased a lamp which they used on especially dark nights. Jiraiya complained about it ruining his night vision and always slept further away from them on those nights.

Naruto was pulled out of his thoughts by a child's cry. As they were in the middle of the woods he knew it had to be Konohamaru, and without another thought ran in the direction of the cry. It turns out his friend wasn't that far away and when Naruto saw his predicament, he had to stop from laughing.

Konohamaru had stepped into a snare trap and was currently hanging upside down his little arms maybe a foot off the ground. He was also currently glaring with all his might at a small monkey named Monkiibijinesu who was perched in a nearby tree and seemed to be amused by the whole situation.

"You okay?" Naruto asked as he came towards Konohamaru.

"Yeah," Konohamaru said not taking his eyes off of the monkey. Then he added to the monkey, "You cheated! You never said you were going to use traps."

"I didn't?" The monkey answered trying to sound as if he was surprised. "Well, I'm sure I didn't say I wasn't going to use them."

"Yeah, but you didn't say you were going to use them either," Konohamaru complained.

Monkiibijinesu folded his arms and nodded, which required him to bend his whole body as if he was giving little bows. "That is true, but your objective was to catch me and mine was not to be caught. Laying traps is a good way to slow down your enemy. Now before you accuse me of cheating again, if this was a real chase do you think I would really care if I played fair or not?"

Naruto waited, but Konohamaru didn't say anything to that so he said, "I'm going to cut you down."

Grabbing the rope just below where he was going to cut it, he slashed the kunai clean through the rope which was another thing he wouldn't have been able to do a few months ago. He also couldn't have supported Konohamaru's weight with one arm even for a second, but now, well, at least it was a controlled crash to the ground.

"Well, young Sarutobi, I guess this is it for today. You didn't catch me today, but perhaps tomorrow you will catch me or perhaps not." With that, the monkey disappeared with a puff of smoke going back to wherever it came from.

"I hate this," Konohamaru said loosening the rope around his ankle before throwing it aside. "Why do I have to chase some monkey around to build up my stamina?"

"Well Jiraiya said stamina is important and you are improving. Remember you used to have to take breaks and now you can chase him for the whole two hours." Konohamaru was looking away from him and sensing something was really bothering his friend, he sat down and asked, "What's wrong?"

Konohamaru was silent for a moment before he finally spoke up. "Monkiibijinesu keeps talking about my family and some of them I sort of remember, but when I try to think about them, I can't really remember much."

Naruto frowned. He kind of had trouble remembering things, but when he really thought about it he could remember Konoha and his life before the House. His memories were not really happy, but it shouldn't be that way for Konohamaru. Perhaps since he had been younger he couldn't remember as well. That didn't sound like that would be a good thing to tell him right now though.

"I wouldn't worry about it too much. I attended the Academy, but I don't remember much of it. I mean you're picking up chakra manipulation a lot quicker than I am and I'm supposed to have learned some of this stuff."

"Yeah, that's true. Jiraiya told me you are his worst student ever."

Naruto smiled at the jab and pushed Konohamaru over playfully before tickling his side and saying, "He didn't say that. Admit you're lying." Konohamaru giggled as Naruto's hands slipped under his shirt. Over his friends giggling, though, he suddenly heard someone clearing their throat very loudly which caused him to look up. "Hi, Jiraiya, we were just taking a break."

"Yeah, I can see. Listen I just met up with one of my contacts and he told me where this guy I have been looking for might be in a few days. So pack up, we're heading out."

* * *

Authors note: Monkiibijinesu should translate as monkey business. Oh how I amuse myself. So will anyone be kind enough to review?


	9. Second Chance

"Na-ru-to, Na-ru-to, it's time to wake up."

Naruto smiled and pressed his face into his bedding as Konohamaru's breath tickled his ear. "Ten more minutes."

"Oh come on, Jiraiya left to find that guy and we're all alone up here."

"I'm tired," Naruto complained though he knew now he was too awake to go back to sleep.

"Come on we traveled the same distance yesterday and I'm all rested."

"Yeah, but I kind of remember carrying you for the last hour yesterday."

"Hey," the other boy objected, "that was to help you with your training."

"All right," Naruto sighed dramatically, rolling onto his stomach and pulling his knees under him. He started to tug off his blanket. As he pulled it off, he tucked it under himself, raising his butt into the air. When he was done with that he pulled his boxers down and said, "Ravish me."

Konohamaru was quiet for a long time before he said, "Are you serious?"

For the first time that day, Naruto opened his eyes and looked over at Konohamaru with a smile. "Yeah, it's been a while."

The boy grinned back at him and went to work already having the lube nearby. The feeling of his little fingers back there as they applied a little was nice and in a way pleasurable. When Konohamaru pushed into him a moment later, Naruto was still smiling. Physically, Konohamaru was not doing much, if anything. Naruto had much bigger things back there before and maybe that was why he enjoyed his little friend. Either that or he just didn't want to make Konohamaru feel trapped like he had for so long. They were equals.

He remembered being in this position so many times before and sometimes it had been bad and other times it had been not so bad. Now, though, he enjoyed it because he was with Konohamaru and that made everything right. There were no obligations, no orders, no rules, just them. Oddly, at that moment, he realized he was happy, more happy than he could remember being.

His friend's hands landed on his back as Konohamaru started to thrust into him. The little thrusts, as awkward as they were, were starting to make him hard. When he slipped out, Naruto reached back and spread his cheeks which made it a little easier for his younger partner. He wasn't sure how long the other lasted, but when his thrusts became stronger he knew it was close to the end and then there was a little cry of pleasure.

Konohamaru collapsed to Naruto's side, lying on his back. Smiling, the older of the two leaned over and kissed him before moving over him, placing his arms and knees on either side of the other boy. Breaking the kiss, he allowed his erection to touch the other. "Can I try something?"

The other boy looked up at him confused, "Sure, what do you want to do?"

Naruto kissed him again as he positioned himself and said, "Just push your knees together."

His erection was between Konohamaru's thighs and when he brought his knees together his penis was surrounded by warm flesh. Naruto wrapped his own arms and legs around him, hugging his upper body and squeezing his legs even tighter together. He could feel the others penis still slippery with the lubricant against his belly as he started to kiss his neck.

Naruto started to pump in and out between his friend's thighs and it felt good. Back at the House they called this the nice position. They had given it that name because some clients who didn't want to actually penetrate them would do this instead. Naruto had never done it himself, but he had to admit it felt pretty good. Of course, the reason it had been given its name was because it simply didn't hurt to do. He didn't know why he had suddenly wanted to do it, but he felt like he was taking something back.

His orgasm approached quickly, and with one last thrust it washed over him. Not wanting to collapse on Konohamaru, he rolled over pulling the smaller boy on top of him. He rested his head on his chest and Naruto hugged him back.

"You like that?" Konohamaru asked.

Naruto thought for a second and said, "It was alright I guess. I used to do what you did with some of the clients and I guess I was just kind of curious."

"Well, if you like it we can do it again sometime."

He thought for a minute and shrugged, "Maybe. Still, I like doing just about everything with you."

"Yeah, I do too," Konohamaru said as he started to sit up on top of him. Then, he smiled and added, "I like when we have a room like this. It's a lot nicer than the woods." Then he looked down and said, "Up for more?"

Naruto followed his gaze and smiled as he saw Konohamaru's smaller member half hard. "Well, who knows when we will have a room to ourselves again?"

Jiraiya sipped his cup of cold tea and considered how many things could go wrong with his current plan. First, Tazuna, the man he was hoping to meet up with could already be dead. Even if he was still alive it was possible he may not pass through this town on his way to the Wave Country. If Tazuna was sticking to the roads, he pretty much only had two options and Jiraiya had selected this town after considering how a civilian might behave if they were trying to avoid an assassin. Finally, even if he could meet up with the man, there was no guarantee he would want anything to do with him.

He could just imagine how that conversation would play out. "Excuse me sir, I know someone is trying to assassinate you and I would like to recruit that man. Do you mind if I follow you around until he tries to kill you?" Yeah, that would be a great icebreaker.

For the time being, he tried to push that future conversation out of his mind and instead turn to another problem. Well, actually it was two problems. Naruto and Konohamaru were both coming along surprisingly well in their training, but he found himself worrying about them. He wasn't sure if allowing them to continue as they were was the right decision. He kept wondering what Naruto's father or Konohamaru's grandfather would think of what they were doing.

On the one hand, they seemed to share genuine affection for each other. The first time Jiraiya had overheard one of them say that they love the other, he had thought, what do they know of love? However, after watching them for a while, he thought there might just be in a better relationship than he had ever had. It wasn't just the physical stuff they did together, which he knew they did a lot of, but the little things too. When Naruto became frustrated with something, Konohamaru knew how to comfort him and when Konohamaru had been terrified of the dark, it had been Naruto he turned too. They were comfortable around each other in the way old married couples were.

Of course, that was also part of the problem. They were young and he wasn't even sure if they were old enough to know what they like when it came to sex. Also, Naruto was way too protective of Konohamaru. Now that he thought about it, he couldn't remember ever being alone with Konohamaru without Naruto being nearby. In a way, Jiraiya could understand that, but it had been months and it was starting to worry him.

In a way he supposed it was understandable. Adults whom they should have been able to trust had betrayed both of them. He didn't know the details, and to an extent he didn't want to know. Perhaps that made him a coward where it counted, but he was concerned if he couldn't handle it correctly, he might mess them up even further. It was bad enough they weren't hanging around any other kids who might give them a sense of normality, but right now he wasn't sure how he could introduce that stabilizing factor into their lives. Briefly, he wondered if Kakashi was having a similar problem as he trained the two sisters.

There wasn't much traffic into the village at this time, so when a single person appeared on the horizon, it peaked his interest and pulled him out of his thoughts. He had a vague description of Tazuna and this man seemed to fit the description. Well, there was one way to be sure. He waited for the man to pass by him before calling out, "Tazuna."

The man paused before warily turning his head and saying, "Yes?"

It was hard not to smile at the man's unease as he stood and said in a much quieter tone, "Relax I'm not the guy hired to kill you. However, I believe we can be of mutual benefit to each other."

"Oh, and you are?" The man questioned, giving him a pensive look.

He smiled, in another time and place, he would give a flashy introduction of himself, but being on the run he had to settle for a simple bow as he said, "I am the great and infamous Jiraiya formally of the Leaf."

"And how do you suppose we can be of mutual benefit to each other?"

"Perhaps it would be best if we sat down to discuss our circumstances, my treat of course."

The other man hesitated for a minute before he nodded. He took a seat opposite of Jiraiya, and as business was slow a waitress quickly appeared outside to take his order of coffee, black nothing fancy. The man's eyes were red as if he hadn't slept well or if at all. Jiraiya could easily imagine that he jumped at every sound last night knowing he was being hunted.

"So, you know me obviously, but I don't know you," the other man said to get the conversation going.

Jiraiya was starting to take a liking to this man. He was blunt, he liked that. "As I said, I am formally from Konoha. I left the village after a coup d'état with others. Our goal is to overthrow our new leader. The man hired to kill you is likewise a missing-nin, but from a different village. I would like to recruit him to my cause, which is why I would like to be your bodyguard."

Tazuna laughed harshly. "You want to use me to talk to the person trying to kill me. I don't exactly see a benefit for myself in that."

He smiled noticing that the man didn't stand to leave. "Well, we can set this up like a mission. You give free room and board to me as well as my traveling companions and I'll protect you from the assassin. I want to recruit him, but if he's not willing to join my cause, then I'll take him out."

"Why do you think he would join your cause in the first place?"

He paused for a second, wondering how he should word this. "When a ninja abandon his village, he does it for one of three reasons." Jiraiya held up a finger as he recited each reason. "First is ambition. For whatever reason the ninja thinks he would be better off being a solo agent. These people tend to become criminals, although there are rare cases of individuals founding their own hidden villages or similar organizations."

"The second reason is political. This is my own. In theory were supposed to follow our superiors unquestioningly, but it never works out that way. We're trained to think independently and we only follow our leaders because we choose to and out of loyalty to our village. However, there will always be times when people have to step outside to protect their village."

"The third reason is the most simple. It is simply sometimes were offered something better by another village. Sometimes it's just a large bundle of Ryo or they may feel they have been snubbed by their home village, like being passed over for a promotion or stuff like that. We ninja really aren't that different than the average person."

Tazuna nodded in understanding and asked, "So the guy who is after me. What do you think his reason was for leaving his village?"

Jiraiya shrugged. "A combination of one and two I suspect. His name is Raiga Kurosuki and he was once part of a group called the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. Basically that means he was one of the strongest ninjas in his village. However, one day he went out on a mission and simply never came back. The only other information I have obtained about him is about three months ago he took control of a gold mine from some local Yakuza. He ended up taking a lot less gold than he could have almost like he didn't care about it. Unfortunately, for him Konoha caught wind of his presence and sent some ninjas in after him. Both sides got chopped up pretty good and it looks like he was the only one to survive from his side."

"So, you think, he tried to do his own thing, failed and now might take your offer?"

He smiled. When it was said like that it sounded simplistic, but a ninja had to be practical after all. "It's a long shot, but that's pretty much the plan."

"The last time I hired some Konoha ninjas they abandoned me," Tazuna said quietly.

"What?" Jiraiya snapped shocked.

The man held up a hand to forestall any questions. "I didn't exactly tell them that a ninja was trying to kill me. I wanted to, but I couldn't afford that level of protection."

He relaxed a little, his fears that Konoha was producing cowards abated for the moment. "Yeah, that's never a good thing to do. Still, I know your situation and I'm offering you a straight up trade room and board for myself and my traveling companions and in exchange I'll protect you."

"All right, I guess it's better than nothing. Who are these traveling companions of yours anyway?"

For a second, Jiraiya wasn't sure how he should answer. The whole story behind Naruto and Konohamaru was too long and complicated to tell now. Besides, he didn't really need to know the truth anyways. "There are my apprentices. I'll go get them."

"I'll come with you," Tazuna said about to stand.

"No, it's okay," Jiraiya responded quickly. "I'll just be a minute enjoy your coffee." In truth, he didn't want the man coming with him because he was pretty sure he knew what Naruto and Konohamaru were doing. Rabbits didn't go at it as much as those two he thought as he went to collect them.

Konohamaru let his fingers skim over the water surface as the boat quietly slipped through the early mist filled morning. He was tired. Jiraiya had them walk all of yesterday to reach the coast and he really wished that he had just summoned a toad. Maybe then he could've seen the ocean before falling asleep. Come to think of it, he still had not seen the ocean. The fog was so thick he couldn't see anything that wasn't ten feet away.

"Wow, this bridge's really is big," Naruto said out loud as he looked up at it through the mist.

"You want to say that a little louder? I don't think the people on the other shore heard you," the boat man hissed. "Traveling without using the motor is pointless if you're just going to shout like that."

Konohamaru twisted around and asked Jiraiya who was actually walking on the water next to the boat, "Are we really going to see you fight?" He tried to sound like he didn't care about the answer, but in truth he wanted to see what all of his training was going to lead up to. Besides, it sounded cool.

"Most likely," Jiraiya answered peering through the mist. "Unless the assassination on Tazuna has been canceled, he will strike. Personally, I would have done it a few miles after his first set of guards abandoned him, but he probably has orders to kill Tazuna in country. From what I've heard that would serve their purposes better. Still, whatever happens, you stick close to Tazuna and the same goes for you Naruto."

"Are you sure you should be talking like that in front of these kids?" Tazuna said looking over at him.

"They've seen worse," Jiraiya commented.

Konohamaru grinned at the other older man, enjoying that he seemed uncomfortable. Personally, he wasn't sure if he liked the man or not, but Naruto didn't like him so he was taking his cue from him.

"All right there is the dock," the boatman said quietly. A ghostly outline of a building appeared in the mist, and a few seconds later they bumped against the wooden platform. The little group quickly disembarked having finally arrived in the Wave country. The boatman said, "Good luck," as he pushed back into the mist and disappeared from Konohamaru's sight.

"All right, Tazuna lead the way," Jiraiya said.

The quartet set off and after climbing a set of stairs Konohamaru realized that they were in a town, but it was so quiet he thought it might be abandoned at first. The mist added a creepy feeling to the atmosphere, it was kind of exciting and scary at the same time. He found himself slipping his hand into Naruto's and the gentle squeeze he received in return was reassuring.

As they started to walk through the town, though, they saw signs of life. People were walking the streets and a few store signs were illuminated. The mist was starting to lift and he tried to pay more attention to his surroundings. Jiraiya often quizzed them on what they passed as they walked. He said a ninja had to be aware of his surroundings, whether it was an unusual rock or another traveler. Konohamaru knew he was better at this than Naruto, except for when it came to signs. He was not really good at reading having never really learned how. Jiraiya was sort of teaching him, but those lessons were irregular.

"There it is," Tazuna said pointing to a two-story house that hung over the water.

"Your house is on the outskirts of the village and suspended over the water," Jiraiya said stating the obvious.

Their guide paused and looked at the ninja. "Is that a problem?"

"No, it's just if you're so close to the woods why didn't you just build on the land?" Konohamaru noticed that Jiraiya had paused before he answered and he thought something might be up, but when he looked over to Naruto he didn't seem to have noticed anything.

"It's cheaper tax wise since you're not using land. You know, it's not much to look at, but I'm happy to see it again." Tazuna's eyes suddenly fell on him, "You know my grandson's about your age. Maybe you two could play together if you have some free time from your training."

Konohamaru wriggled his nose at the idea, like he had just smelled something bad. "I like playing with Naruto."

"The three of you could find something you could play together," Jiraiya suggested. "In fact, I want you to take the day off from training. It's good to give your body a rest sometimes."

Konohamaru didn't know what to say or do as the two men seemed to stare at him. He almost started to feel a sense of panic and tightened his grip on Naruto's hand who took it as a sign to come to his rescue. "Cool a day off. That'll be nice, right Konohamaru?"

Naruto's words broke the spell that had somehow been cast over him and he was able to say, "Yeah."

They started walking again after that, but now Konohamaru really didn't want to go to Tazuna's house. He didn't want to meet Tazuna's grandson. Back at the House, he hadn't gotten along with the other kids too well. Most just kind of ignored him, but one, Kouji, a boy about the same age as him, had been mean to him by taking his stuff or pushing him around. He had never told Naruto about this because he felt it had been his problem to deal with, but he really didn't want to meet another Kouji.

* * *

One review only so sad.


	10. A Bad First Impression

Naruto wondered what was up with Konohamaru. He could tell his friend was, well nervous he guessed. Konohamaru's grip on his hand tightened as Tazuna opened his front door and announced, "I'm back."

As they stepped into the entryway a woman with long black hair came around the corner and hugged Tazuna. "Dad, I'm so glad you're safe."

"Hey, I told you I would be," he said in a gentle tone. After a moment, Tazuna pulled away from the woman, reluctantly breaking the embrace as he turned to say, "Here, let me introduce you to my bodyguard. This is Jiraiya and his two apprentices. The blonde one is Naruto and the smaller one is named Konohamaru. They'll be staying with us for the duration of the building project."

The woman bowed her head and with a smile that almost made Naruto relax said, "Thank you for looking after my father." Then she paused and repeated "Jiraiya? You aren't by chance the same ninja who wrote those books?"

"Why, yes I am," Jiraiya answered with evident pride even as Naruto and Konohamaru both looked at him in surprise.

The woman smiled, her cheeks turning red. "I am a big fan of yours. Your Icha Icha series, well I have read them several times. I have to know, will you ever write more?"

"I may have a partially completed draft with me," Jiraiya said coyly. "Perhaps you would like to take a look at it and give me your thoughts? Feedback is the life blood of an author after all."

"I've never seen you write anything," Naruto questioned.

Jiraiya shot him a look and said a bit annoyed, "I write sometimes when I leave you two alone to train."

He nodded, accepting the answer and was about to ask what type of stories he was writing when a boy appeared from around the corner and hugged the older man. Tazuna ruffled the boy's hair and said, "Inari this is Naruto and Konohamaru. They will be staying with us for a while, so why don't you show them where the guest room is and then maybe you could show them your room."

The boy turned dark eyes on them and the small smile that had been on his face fell. He stared at them, which made Naruto uncomfortable before nodding and saying, "Okay." Then without waiting for them he started to walk away.

"Go on," Jiraiya prompted after a moment. Naruto looked over at his teacher only to find all the adults were staring at him. Finding the situation uncomfortable he quickly tried to slip away with Konohamaru in tow, but before he had taken three steps Jiraiya said, "Boys your sandals."

Pausing, he looked down at his still relatively new footwear and asked, "What about them?"

Silence followed his question which was only broken when Jiraiya cleared his throat and said, "Houses are like hotels," he paused as if he was expecting something and then added, "You're supposed to take your shoes off in the entryway."

"Oh," he blushed, vaguely remember hearing that before. He and Konohamaru removed their sandals and placed them back at the entryway next to the rest of the family's before heading back down the hallway.

Fortunately, the house wasn't that big and Inari waited at the end of the hallway. He was glaring at them as they approached and pointed to a room. "You're sleeping here."

Naruto slid open the door to the room and walked inside. His first impression was that the room probably wasn't meant to be a bedroom. His second thought about the room was it was rundown, but he had seen worse. A little paint would help a lot he thought as he shrugged off his backpack. He placed it against the wall where it was out of the way. With that done he turned back to see Inari staring at them. Naruto didn't really want to go to Inari's room, but that was what Jiraiya had asked them to do, so he smiled and said, "Let's see your room."

They followed Inari upstairs in complete silence. He was not sure what to expect from a bedroom, having never really been in one unless you counted the dorm or the bedrooms at the House. Still, he was disappointed when he stepped inside of the room. It was clean like the rest of the house, but also had the feeling that it was rundown. There was a bed with a desk next to it which was placed under the window. It had a nice view of the ocean, but as he continued his inspection, he didn't see much more, other than a hamper filled with clothes and a bookshelf almost evenly divided between books on the higher shelves and a few toys that looked like they were handmade on the lower.

He walked over to these and knelt down so he could get a better look at them. After a few seconds of examining them he asked, "Did someone make these for you?"

Inari, now at his eye level, walked up to him and said, "My grandpa's friend made them for me." The boy reached out and grabbed a little crane off the shelf and moved some of its parts before adding, "He's going to die you know."

"You're grandpa's friend?" Naruto said a bit confused.

"No, that guy you're with. He's going to die if you don't leave."

Naruto didn't know what to say, so he muttered, "Jiraiya is a strong ninja." Now that Naruto thought about it, though, Jiraiya had just told them he was strong, but aside from what they had seen in training and the toad summoning, he didn't know what else he could do.

"It doesn't matter. He's going to die. They all do."

The blonde found the younger boy's words uneasy, but he wasn't sure why. Before he could say anything, though, there was a soft noise like something falling over. In the quiet of the room it was very loud and both boys looked over to the desk where Konohamaru had climbed on top to get a better look out of the window.

"Get away from there!" Inari screamed as he ran over to the desk. He grabbed Konohamaru's leg and yanked him off.

As he fell, Konohamaru hit his head against the desk before crashing to the floor. The boy got up faster than Naruto could stand and shoved the other boy so hard that Inari hit the wall, his head bouncing off of it. Naruto darted between the two of them, not sure if he was trying to stop the fight or simply protect his friend. Glaring over at Inari, he could see him clutching his head, but he was getting up. Then he could hear someone storming up the stairs and a second later the door burst open to reveal a very red-faced Jiraiya.

* * *

Jiraiya was not a man who was easily embarrassed. He quite freely and unapologetically spied on women when they were at Hot Springs or any other public place where they wore little to no clothing. He had also until recently quite frequently sought out the company of women even if he had to pay them. What many would be ashamed to do, or at least embarrassed to do, he did quite publicly and openly.

However, as he stared at the two eight year-old sitting next to each other at the kitchen table with identical washcloths pressed to their heads, he felt a twinge of embarrassment. The boys had not even been alone for five minutes and they had managed to get into a fight. He was pretty sure that it had taken him and Tsunade longer than that to get into their first fight and she was a woman.

Letting out a silent sigh he said, "Tsunami, I'm sorry about this."

"Don't apologize." She said without taking her eyes off of the boys, "I'm sure my son is not completely innocent in this. So who wants to start?" She asked crossing her arms. For a second there was silence and then both boys started trying to talk at the same time. "Quiet," she said in a tone that silenced both boys. She nodded towards Naruto who was standing near Konohamaru and said, "Can you tell us what happened?"

Jiraiya watched as Naruto shifted uncomfortably under Tsunami's scrutiny. He had to hand it to her, she really had this parenting thing down pat and even he was worried about saying anything right now.

"Well," Naruto started. "We went to Inari's room and I was looking at his toys and we were talking. Then Konohamaru climbed onto the desk and Inari pulled him off. I think that was when he hit his head and then he shoved Inari."

Naruto fell silent and after a second Tsunami nodded and said, "Either of you two want to add anything?" Neither of the boys said anything and she gave him a look that he was able to interpret. With interrogations it was sometimes best to separate the suspects.

"Naruto take Konohamaru outside, I'll be there in a minute." Quietly, Konohamaru pushed himself away from the table and Naruto put a hand on his shoulder as they headed for the door. Jiraiya was starting to feel a bit relieved at the way things were shaping up; his two were looking fairly innocent.

"Inari, what happened?" She said her son's name with a concerned but firm tone.

The boy was quiet for a second, but eventually said, "He knocked over my picture and I thought it would fall out the window."

Tsunami let out a long sigh and suddenly took a seat in the chair across the table from her son. "Inari, I know that picture is important to you, but you could have really hurt him. You know you could've handled the situation better than you did."She paused for a few seconds before adding, "Now, I want you to go to your room and stay there until you're ready to apologize to him, okay?"

The boy nodded and without saying a word slipped out of his chair and headed upstairs. After a few seconds, Tsunami turned to him and said, "I'm sorry. He really is a good kid, but he's been having a hard time."

Jiraiya suddenly felt guilty about feeling relieved earlier. "No, it's okay. Konohamaru should've been more careful."

There was an awkward silence that was broken by Tazuna who brought them back to the original reason he was here. "You know I really have to start heading to work. I've missed several days as it is."

"All right, just give me a minute to check on my two and we will go," Jiraiya said making his way to the back door. Stepping outside, he saw Naruto sitting down, his feet dangling over the water. Konohamaru was lying down with his head resting in the others lap. Naruto looked up at his approach and he knelt down to be closer to their eye level as he said, "Konohamaru how are you feeling?"

"My head hurts."

Jiraiya smiled slightly at that. "Yeah, it tends to do that when you hit it like you did. You're not feeling nauseous, though, are you?"

"No," the young boy said quietly without looking up at him.

"All right, but Konohamaru if Inari apologizes to you I want you to say, that you're sorry too okay?"

"Fine," Konohamaru said surprising Jiraiya.

He had been expecting the boy to say something like, "but I didn't do anything wrong." Well, there was no reason to complain about that he guessed. "All right, I'll be back later today. You two take it easy and don't go too far from here."

Both boys agreed and he stood and left without saying a word. He collected Tazuna and the two of them started off heading to the uncompleted bridge. They walked in silence for some time before the client spoke up. "Sorry about earlier. I was hoping that having another kid around his age would've helped him, but that would've been too simple I guess."

"You don't have to apologize. I was hoping that they would get along too," Jiraiya said almost absentmindedly scanning for possible ambush spots. As they were in the village they were just about everywhere.

"He's a good kid really," Tazuna explained, "but since his father died, he changed. I can't really blame him. He was murdered right in front of him. No kid should see that."

"No they shouldn't." Jiraiya agreed, wondering how much he really wanted to learn about the recent history of this country. He had to remember that he was technically an outlaw, and if he did anything to draw too much attention to himself, Danzo would send people after him. Not that they could kill him, but it would be inconvenient. So he changed the subject slightly. "A similar thing happened to Konohamaru. Only it was his entire family that was killed. Even now, I'm still unsure how he survived."

"Really, how long did it take him to get over it?" Tazuna asked.

Jiraiya wasn't sure that 'get over it' was the best choice of words, but he understood its meaning. "Konohamaru was much younger when it happened so I don't know." Even as he brushed off the question, though, he did wonder how exactly Konohamaru had survived that day. It was strange that Danzo would kill everyone else in the Sarutobi clan and leave one small boy alive. It was almost cruel and despite his many flaws, Danzo was not cruel, he was simply ruthless.

"Oh," Tazuna said seeing his hopes dashed.

They continued to walk together in silence until rounding a corner when the bridge suddenly came into view. This was the first unobstructed view Jiraiya had of the bridge and he was pretty impressed. It looked as if it was halfway complete and it looked sturdy. Two carts could easily pass each other without one having to give way to the other on it. "They haven't done much since I left," Tazuna muttered more to himself than to anyone else.

When they arrived at the construction site, Jiraiya did a quick analysis of the terrain and found that while it wasn't ideal it could be a lot worse. The nearby woods was a little worrying, having been recently cleared there were a lot of small brush growing in now and of course there was the water. Tazuna wanted to do a quick inspection tour before the rest of the crew arrived so they made their way to the end of the bridge.

The attack came without any warning. There was an explosion to their right side which was followed immediately by the shrieking of twisting metal. One of the nearby cranes had just had its supports blown out and it was falling. Tazuna was frozen in disbelief as it started to fall in his direction. With a burst of speed Jiraiya pushed the man out of the way as the crane's arm crashed onto the bridge only inches behind them.

Jiraiya rolled to his feet realizing that Tazuna wouldn't have an easy escape route even as mist started to roll in. "Stay low," he snapped. The mist became thick, the visibility dropped to only a few feet. It became so thick he wondered how Raiga intended to find his target. Well, they were on a bridge so maybe he planned some sort of big attack. Raising his hand to his mouth, he bit his thumb preparing to use one of his strongest defensive techniques if he had too.

Jiraiya resisted the temptation to close his eyes as he concentrated on his hearing. A six sense of his, which had been developed over years of battle, told him there was someone to his right, but it didn't seem right so he ignored it. When the attack did come, it was from the left. Raiga was going directly for the target, ignoring him.

Jiraiya managed to cut in front of him, grabbing the man's sword hand and slamming his elbow into the man's abdomen, right where his diaphragm was. Forcing the air out of his lungs, he had just enough time to realize that something wasn't right when he heard a crackling sound. Jumping back, he saw the figure he had hit explode into water as a Lightning Ball ripped its way through the clone. The ball of energy slammed into the pavement and exploded leaving behind a small crater.

How the hell had he managed to use a long-range attack in mist this thick? Yes, he was one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, but still, how had he known where to aim. Had he aimed for the clone or could he somehow see in this mist?

It was only then he noticed that there were smaller particles suspended in the air. They were so small and fine that he had easily overlooked them before. However, he immediately realized that these were somehow connected to the man's ability to aim accurately in this mist. Well, then he had to stop playing around. Landing close to Tazuna he said, "Sorry about this," and quickly summoned the Toad Mouth Bind.

Technically, the Toad Mouth Bind was meant to trap an enemy, but since it was impossible to break out of it was also impossible to break into. Tazuna had only enough time to say a startled, "What!" Before being cut off.

Freed from the immediate need to protect his client, he jumped onto the fleshy mass that was protecting Tazuna and shouted, "Raiga Kurosuki, I have no desire to..." He stopped as he started to feel the hairs on his arms start to rise. Realizing he was now the tallest object in the area, he jumped towards the water just as a lightning bolt struck where he had just been standing.

Landing on the water's surface, he spun around, his ears ringing trying to see if there was any damage, but he couldn't see through the mist. His hearing quickly returned to normal and he was just about to shout his plea for negotiation when he noticed the mist started to lift. Unsure of what was happening Jiraiya kept his mouth shut.

After a few minutes the mist had completely vanished and he scanned the terrain but couldn't find any hint that the other ninja was still here. Had he withdrawn? That seemed unlikely, but then he realized what had happened. He had placed the man's target in a protective barrier that he had probably just hit with one of his more powerful attacks. Since he could still see the fleshy mass on the bridge, Raiga had obviously been unable to break it. So he had withdrawn to strike again later. Jiraiya let out a long sigh at his failure. He had not even managed to say a complete sentence to the man.

* * *

Naruto ran his fingers through Konohamaru's hair. He carefully avoided the ice that was wrapped in a dish cloth still pressed against the others head. He had seen Konohamaru take some hard hits during taijutsu practice, but he didn't seem to be bouncing back like he normally did. Konohamaru suddenly sat up and removed the cloth from his head and let the ice slip out into the water below. It made a small splash and they both watched as the ice floated back to the surface.

"Feeling better?"

Konohamaru nodded and suddenly asked, "Why does everyone hate me?"

The question took him aback, but without much thought he answered "Nobody hates you Konohamaru."

"Yes they do!" Konohamaru snapped, "Nobody ever wants me around." He turned away from him and pulled his knees close in to his chest and buried his head into them.

For once, Naruto didn't know what to do for Konohamaru. In the back of his head he remembered something Sakura had told him. "You're his only friend." At the time he had dismissed it, but then Hanabi had said something similar. "I like you and Jiraiya likes you."

"He's just nice to me because he likes you. That's how it always is. He even spends more time with you then he does with me."

Naruto scooted a little closer to the boy and said in a soft tone. "He spends more time with me because you're smarter than me. Sometimes he has to explain something two or three times to me, but he tells you once and you get it. I've even asked you for help, remember?"

Konohamaru nodded a little, but he didn't turn around. He was about to give him a kiss on the neck in hopes of making him feel better when a voice said from behind them "Are you two okay?"

Naruto turned to see Tsunami stepping outside. He smiled and answered, "Yeah, we're okay."

The woman smiled as she approached and knelt down near Konohamaru. "Are you feeling okay?"

Konohamaru nodded, but still didn't say anything.

"I'm glad you're not hurt and I'm sorry Inari hurt you. Please don't hate him for what happened. He's been very sad lately."

"It's okay, we'll just stay out of his way," Naruto said.

"No," Konohamaru suddenly spoke up. "I'm going to make him my friend." His pronouncement caught everyone by surprise, but then he turned to Naruto and said, "You'll help me, right Naruto?"

"Um sure," he answered hesitantly.

Tsunami raised a hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle. "Well, as long as you two are nice about it, go ahead." Then she added, "Hey, how would you two like a snack?"

In response to her question, Naruto's stomach rumbled and he placed a hand over it. "If it's not any trouble, we didn't eat breakfast yet."

"Well, then I'll have to make you two something."


	11. Of Love and Hardship

Naruto arched his back until his hands were able to touch the ground. Upon contact with the dirt he started to walk them forward until his back just reached an uncomfortable point. He had always been flexible, but since starting his training with Jiraiya he had become more so. Holding the position for a count of five in his head, he slowly started to stand back up and glanced over at Konohamaru who was similarly making his way through his morning stretches.

Yesterday he had agreed to help him befriend Inari, but he still had no idea how to go about it. Inari had not emerged from his room until just before dinnertime. They had both apologized to each other, but just then Jiraiya and Tazuna had come back and related the events of their day. Naruto, like everyone else, had become enraptured by the story and had backed Konohamaru when he had asked to come along the next day to see if there would be another battle.

Jiraiya had refused of course, saying it would probably be several days before the man made another attempt and they had training to do. So, the next morning, like every day they had been with Jiraiya they got up bright and early to train. However, for a change they weren't deep in the woods. They could even still see Inari's house through the trees.

"Alright boys I'm going to get going now," Jiraiya said as he clapped his hands together to get their attention. "Now, I'm going to leave a clone behind for each of you to practice your Taijutsu on and when you destroy them I want you to practice throwing your weapons. Tsunami has agreed to make you lunch so just go ask her for it whenever you get hungry. Take it easy today, though, because after dinner I think it's time you finally learn a jutsu."

Konohamaru's shout of joy was drowned out by Naruto shouting, "Really? Which one? Will we be able to summon toads like you?"

Jiraiya smiled at their enthusiasm, but disappointed them when he said, "It won't be that complicated, but it's something every ninja uses. So train hard today, but don't exhaust yourself." He made a hand sign and suddenly there were two more of him. Then the two clones made additional hand signs and transformed into two new and distinct people.

With a wave over his shoulder, he started to walk away, but after a second of hesitation Naruto chased after him.

"Hey wait up."

The white haired man paused and turned around with a questioning look on his face. Naruto came up short, not sure exactly what he wanted to ask him or more precisely how he wanted to word his question. Yesterday, Inari had said that Jiraiya was going to die. At the time, he had dismissed it, but last night, after hearing about the battle, he had woken up and wondered, what would they do if Jiraiya did die? It had somehow seemed like a more real concern in the dead of night then it was now, but he wanted an answer.

"I'll be back," Jiraiya said in a rare show of true empathy.

"What if you don't? I... " he trailed off not wanting to say he didn't want to go back to how things were before Jiraiya had come into his life.

"Naruto, I'll admit that this guy is good. If he wasn't, I wouldn't be trying to recruit him, but I'm sure I can handle him." He paused and not seeing that he was reassured added, "Here watch this," Jiraiya said biting his thumb as he knelt down. He did a quick series of hand signs that were too fast for Naruto to follow and slammed his hand down only to quickly repeat the process.

The clouds quickly dispersed and revealed Monkiibijinesu, the monkey that sometimes helped Konohamaru to train and a small purple frog.

"Listen, you two, I need you to be my fail safe plan. If I die, I want you two to look after the boys and get them safely to Kakashi. You can sense Kakashi's chakra, right?" He said addressing the small toad.

The toad closed its eyes for a second and said, "Yeah-yeah-he's-really-far-away."

"Yeah, but you could get them there if you had to right?"

"Yeah-yeah."

"And you would help protect them along the way, Monkiibijinesu?"

The monkey glared back at Jiraiya as if he had just insulted him. "You should remember that we allow you to summon us, but only because the young Sarutobi is in your care. We have sworn loyalty to the Sarutobi clan and once he is capable of summoning us you will no longer have the ability. Thus, I shall always protect the young Sarutobi whether you wish me to or not."

"You see Naruto," Jiraiya said deliberately ignoring the monkey which only seemed to irritate the fur ball further, "even without me around, you two will be okay."

The blonde was sort of relieved, but he wasn't exactly looking forward to being in the care of a toad and a monkey. "Yeah, I guess."

"Good now get to your training," Jiraiya snapped at him in a playful manner "And you two stay concealed. A mercenary ninja doesn't draw too much attention, but talking animals, that gets people talking."

With that, the man got up and started to walk away again and Naruto watched them leave before he felt a tug on his shorts. Looking down, he saw Monkiibijinesu staring up at him. "You should get to training because I'm still not sure if you're right for him."

At first, Naruto wasn't sure what the monkey was saying, but once it dawned on him, he felt a very strong urge to kick the little creature.

It had taken Naruto a while to figure out why Jiraiya always transformed his clones when he had them practice their Taijutsu. Of course, it was days like these that made it a lot easier to understand. His opponent was taller than him, like they always were, but today he was more heavyset, his movements slower than the woman he had fought last time. His blows, though, were more powerful and because he wasn't fast he seemed to concentrate on blocking his attacks instead of deflecting them.

Jumping backwards to avoid a punch, Naruto then sprung forward attempting an ax kick, but it was blocked and the clone lurched forward, pushing him off balance and causing him to crash to the forest floor.

"You're still telegraphing your moves. You have to let them flow more naturally," the clone said.

Brushing a leaf off that was clinging to his face, Naruto spat to get the taste of dirt out of his mouth. The clones constant critiquing of his fighting abilities was one thing that never changed, no matter what the clone looked like. He had been sparring against this clone for quite some time now and even though they had stopped for breaks, he was tired and wanted to end this now.

The clone had taken a few steps back, giving him a little room to get up and for once he tried to think how to attack. Using his body to conceal his movements, he gripped a handful of dirt before charging the clone in an only half fake blind rage. He threw the handful of dirt into its face. The clone had been prepared for an attack, but he had been expecting a punch or a kick, not dirt thrown in his eyes and it caught him completely by surprise. As he reached out towards his eyes, Naruto pushed his advantage, jumping onto the clone, knocking him over. He delivered one powerful punch to the clone's unprotected face which snapped his head around.

"That's enough," the clone snapped.

Naruto hesitated, he felt an urge to continue the fight, but he fought that desire and slowly stood. He took several steps back from the clone, but it gave no sign of rising.

"The dirt was a nice trick, but you should never use that against a real opponent in a friendly spar. The eyes are a good place to attack because they're very hard to strengthen unlike every other part of the body. A scratched retina is in the end a scratched retina." The clone let out a sigh and said, "That's it for today." As the cloned dispersed, it left behind a pile of dirt.

Turning away, Naruto wondered what exactly a retina was. Making a mental note to ask someone later he turned to look through the trees at Konohamaru some forty feet away fighting his own clone. Konohamaru's clone was slightly different than his, a little taller and less broad. Despite the reach difference, though, his friend seemed to be doing quite well against it. Naruto started to make his way over to the two.

Konohamaru dashed in staying low and struck the clone's knee from the side. The clone stumbled back, favoring his knee and the younger boy used the opening to run at a nearby tree, and using it as a spring board, managed to kick the clone in the head. Unlike Naruto's clone, that was apparently enough for this one to call it a day and it disappeared in a puff of smoke upon contact.

He was just about to congratulate Konohamaru when he heard clapping. Turning, he saw Tsunami standing about twenty feet away smiling. She came closer and smiled as she said, "That was really impressive. You boys are really working hard."

Her comment made Naruto wonder how long she had been watching them, but when he glanced over at Konohamaru he was smiling at the praise. The three of them slowly gravitated towards each other and he felt oddly relaxed around her. As a rule he didn't like adults, but Tsunami radiated something he liked. Naruto wasn't sure why he felt comfortable around her, but he did.

"Listen," she said as the three of them stood in a small circle, "I know I promised I would make you something to eat, but I have to go run some errands. So, I made you two sandwiches and I left them in the fridge. You can have them whenever you want. I made one for Inari too, but I don't know when he'll come down for it."

"Oh, so you won't be at home for a while?" Konohamaru questioned.

"I'll be gone for at least two hours, is that okay with you two?"

"Sure," Naruto said with a shrug. He didn't add that Jiraiya sometimes left them alone for hours and he rarely made food before he left when he did.

"Well, then I'll just leave you two to do whatever you have to do."

"Thanks," Naruto said as she turned to leave. He felt a tug on his leg and looked down to see Konohamaru grinning up at him. Naruto was not the brightest, but even he could do this math in his head. With some of their training done plus no one around to interrupt them equaled sex.

They waited a few minutes to be sure Tsunami wasn't coming back before heading inside the home. Kicking off their sandals, Konohamaru ran down the hallway tempting him with a smile over his shoulder. Naruto followed after him, almost feeling himself becoming dumber as blood left his brain. He chased him into the room they were sleeping in and slammed the sliding door behind him.

Konohamaru stood in the center of the room grinning at him as Naruto fell to his knees and wrapped his arms around him in a tight embrace. They kissed, their tongues wrestling as he started to peel Konohamaru's shirt off. They were both sweating from the earlier sparring and the odd smell of his sweat just turned Naruto on more. He felt arms pulling at his shirt and he paused to take it off before going after Konohamaru's pants.

A second later, the younger boy was naked and Naruto sat back on his heels as Konohamaru did a little spin, showing off everything he liked. He liked looking at the younger boy, from the tips of his toes to the top of his hair. Naruto really couldn't pinpoint when he had started appreciating his friend in this fashion, but he would have been happy to spend the rest of the afternoon looking at him like this.

Of course, Konohamaru wouldn't be happy to do that as there was a part of him that wanted special attention. Leaning over he took the younger's member in his mouth and started to slide up and down on it. He actually only had about an inch on Konohamaru, but it was such a thin thing.

Closing his eyes, he listened to the sounds Konohamaru was making as a guide to what to do next. Then he heard a creak of wood that sounded like it came from behind him. Startled, he turned half expecting to see Tsunami standing there, but was more shocked to see her son staring through the slightly open door.

The fact that he had been caught doing something with Konohamaru didn't really bother him, but he remembered that Jiraiya had told him not to do anything where others would see did worry him.

Konohamaru, who had not been given such a warning hardly missed a beat when he said, "Inari, come in."

Inari hesitated for a second, but the door slowly slid to the side and he took a single step into the room. "What are you two doing?"

"Having fun," Konohamaru answered as he walked towards the boy. After a second, Naruto got up and followed him. He noticed that Inari's eyes had looked on to Konohamaru's erection which was still pointing upwards even though his had practically returned to normal.

"He had your thing in his mouth," Inari said before adding, "I didn't mean to spy."

"Oh, that's called a blow job," Konohamaru supplied.

It took Inari a supreme effort to look Konohamaru in the eye and ask, "Why would you do that?"

"Because it feels good and I like making Konohamaru feel good," Naruto supplied.

"Yeah," Konohamaru added before surprising everyone by saying, "do you want me to give you one?"

For several heartbeats there was not a single sound in the room. Naruto looked at Konohamaru surprised he would suggest something like that. Up until now, Konohamaru had only done things with him and he sort of thought it would stay that way. However, this was a feeling that Naruto didn't know how to express.

"Um, no I don't."

"What? Why not? It feels really good," Konohamaru said turning to Naruto for support.

The blonde could see his friend pleading for support, and like always he couldn't deny him. "Yeah, it really does."

"See?" Konohamaru said apparently thinking Naruto's support would be enough to convince the other boy.

"No, you're trying to trick me," Inari said taking a half step back.

"No, we're not," Konohamaru protested. "I want to be your friend."

A strange expression crossed over Inari's face at that moment, but it was so brief that Naruto couldn't recognize what it was. Then Inari said quietly, "You're not going to make fun of me?"

"No."

"And you're not going to try to bite me?"

"I'm better than that," Konohamaru protested.

"And it really feels good?" Inari addressed the last question to Naruto.

"Yeah, if it didn't why would Konohamaru let me do it?"

Inari looked down at the floor for a long time and when he looked up he had made a decision. "What do I have to do?"

Konohamaru smiled and said, "I'll do everything."

Taking Inari by the hand, Konohamaru led him over to the wall and leaned him against it. He fiddled with his overalls for a minute, but when he released one side the other quickly followed. With a little tug they fell to the floor revealing that Inari wore boxers like they did. Then, with a little help, he removed the other boy's shirt and threw it behind him. Dropping to his knees, he pulled Inari's underwear down as he knelt in front of him. Then, for the first time since he had started stripping the other boy Konohamaru turned to him and said questioningly, "Naruto?"

Konohamaru leaned to his side a little and Naruto had his first good look at Inari without any clothes on. Oddly, his first thought was that Inari would have been popular at the House. He had a gentle roundness to him which gave him a little stomach that was completely unnoticeable when he had his clothes on. Of course, what his friend was referring to was the nub between his legs.

It took him an additional second to realize what Konohamaru was really asking about though. "Yeah, it's fine. Lee had one just like it. It's normal."

"Okay," Konohamaru chirped.

Inari, his face slightly red with embarrassment said in a confused and worried tone, "What?"

Naruto was about to answer, but Konohamaru went to work with no warning. He smiled as Inari jumped on initial contact, and then when he looked down his expression changed to something different. Although Naruto couldn't see what the other was doing he was sure that he was going all out.

Absentmindedly, Naruto tried to think back on his own first time receiving a blow job, but he drew a blank. He couldn't even remember if it was before the House or after. Over the years he had so many clients that many of them were just faceless entities. When he concentrated he could remember a few clients here and there. Some stood out because they had been particularly kind and others because they had not been.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by a moan from Inari as his cheeks flushed and he slowly slid down against the wall. A moment later he was smiling when Konohamaru asked him, "Did it feel good?"

Inari smiled and Naruto realized that this was only the second time he had seen the boy smile since he had met him as he said, "Yeah."

"Friends then?" Konohamaru questioned.

"Friends," Inari agreed.

A smile tugged Naruto at the corner of his mouth as the two boys shook hands. He was happy for Konohamaru, but his stomach was upset.

* * *

"Here let me help you," Jiraiya said to Tsunami as he stood up from the table.

"You don't have to help you know. Besides didn't you say you wanted to show your two boys something after dinner?"

"I did," he said remembering his promise earlier to the boys and the repeating of it just before dinner," but they seem to be getting along with Inari right now so I will show them in the morning."

"All right then. You dry, I'll wash," Tsunami said handing him the dish towel.

Jiraiya was not a fan of cleaning dishes. In fact, he considered it the most annoying part of camping and the fact that he had been doing it now for years at a stretch had not endeared the act anymore to him despite his chivalrous nature.

As he was handed the first dish he said, "I wanted to thank you for yesterday. I wouldn't have been able to get to the bottom of the situation like you did."

She chuckled. "It wasn't that hard really. I had a good idea of what happened before hand."

"No, you're really on the ball with him. I don't know how you do it."

This time she did laugh. It was a real laugh and not one like a hostess practiced. At that moment he realized it had been a long time since he had heard a woman laugh like that. It was nice. "What did I say?"

Shaking her head, Tsunami said, "Sorry. It's just when dealing with my son, half the time I have no idea what to do and the other half I'm bluffing." She saw his disbelieving look and added, "Let me tell you a little story. My husband was a fisherman and he died just a month after Inari was born."

"I thought," he interrupted before being cut off.

"Kaiza was my second husband," she corrected him without looking away from the sink. "Anyway, when he died, I moved back in with my father. Still, I was determined to raise my boy as best as I could. Well, time went on and Inari got older and then he had his first day of school. He was nervous, but most kids are. I dropped him off and I'll admit I had a hard time leaving him there. I was used to having him around all day. Anyway, when I went to pick him up later that day I found out that he had cried most of the day."

Jiraiya took the next offered dish and said awkwardly, "Some kids have a tough time."

"Yes, but it took me a while to realize how much I was at fault."

"What do you mean?"

"It's simple really. There aren't any kids around Inari's age who live close by. It's all older people. I used to take him to the park, but he would always play by himself while I would talk to some of the other parents. So he spent all his time with me and I didn't have much of a problem with that. I like that he would help me hang the laundry or even clean. Purely by accident, I had turned him into a mama's boy."

"Oh, I see." He had known a few kids like that growing up. Orochimaru came to mind or at least how he had been when they first met. It was kind of annoying to be around such people, but once he finally started to get to know Orochimaru he turned out to be a decent kid. Of course, that was a lifetime ago.

"I tried to do what I could, but really, there wasn't much I could do. I encouraged him to make friends, but that didn't work out too well. I even got him a dog so he would have some companionship, but it was stolen."

He felt as if he should say something, but he had no idea what to say to that. So he just made a grunting sound of acknowledgment.

"However, he also met Kaiza that day so in the end, I guess it was good. Inari started spending a lot of time with him and so did I. He was a wonderful man and he helped Inari emerge from his shell. Of course, he was killed four months ago and Inari sort of just went back to the way he used to be. So, as you can see, I'm not really on the ball."

Jiraiya nodded, but said reassuringly, "You doing your best."

"I hope so." She was silent for a minute and then handed him a glass and said, "So what was the question you wanted to ask me?"

He looked up and in the reflection of the window he could see she was smiling. "How did you know?"

She shrugged, "Mothers intuition."

He thought for a second and realized that having some input would be better than having none. "Naruto and Konohamaru have only been my apprentices for three months, but I recently discovered that they don't really trust me." He paused for a second and added, "I want them to trust me."

"You never had kids?" She questioned.

He was tempted to say not that he was aware of, but instead said, "I was never married. I had a Genin team once. They were Naruto's age, but the situation was different." He almost said that they were normal, but that would not have been an accurate description either, at least to a civilian.

"Well, trust comes with time."

"I'm not so sure about that," Jiraiya said with a sigh.

"Someone had to trust you with them. After all, they are in your care."

"They're both orphans and nobody was really taking care of them," he corrected.

"Homeless?" She questioned turning to face him, sympathy written across her face.

"It was something like that."

Tsunami looked at him and he realized he had said too much. "Jiraiya, what are you not saying?"

There are moments in battles where one has to make a decision in the blink of an eye and the end result is life and death. In conversations, similar situations arise and at that moment Jiraiya had to make a decision.

"Tsunami," he began, "up until three months ago both Naruto and Konohamaru were working in a brothel as prostitutes."

Her expression slackened into one of complete and utter shock. Then, under her breath she said, "Those poor boys."

"They're not bad kids," he quickly added.

"Hold on, I need to sit down."

He took her by the arm and led her to the table and pulled out a chair for her. After a second, he took a seat across from her. She was silent for a minute, but eventually said, "I can see why you're concerned about them trusting you. I doubt they trust anyone."

"They trust each other," he interjected.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what to say." She was silent for a minute and then asked, "Do they talk about it?"

Jiraiya had no doubts of what "it" meant. "Not really, I've been trying to avoid the subject with them."

"Maybe you shouldn't," she suggested.

"What do you mean?"

She sat forward in her chair and said, "I've learned three things about boys as a mother. The first is they're going to get scratched up. The second is they need their secrets and the third sometimes they need to talk."

He sat back in his own chair and wondered if it could be that simple. For once he tried to figure out if he had not inquired about their past because he thought it might upset them or upset him. Pushing it to the side for now, he asked about a more pressing concern. "Are you still okay with them staying here and playing with Inari?"

She looked at him confused. "Of course I am. Listen, my son has never had a kid his own age in his room like he does right now. Besides, from what I've seen Naruto seems like he's a good kid.

"Yeah, that he is."


	12. Training and Fun

All right you two come here," Jiraiya said, "it's time you learned a jutsu."

Naruto and Konohamaru immediately stopped their morning exercises and ran over to Jiraiya. The blonde had completely forgotten that they were supposed to learn this last night after dinner until much later in the evening. Inari had invited them to play a board game in his room halfway through dinner and they both had immediately agreed. He had felt a little embarrassed when he had remembered, but Jiraiya didn't seem upset with their absentmindedness.

"The jutsu I'm going to teach you is the Transformation technique."

"That's what you do when you make your clones, right? When they change into someone else?" Konohamaru questioned.

"You're correct. This is-"

"Can we learn something cooler?" Konohamaru interrupted.

The older man glared over at him and responded, "You have to crawl before you can walk. Once you learn how to do this jutsu, others will come a lot easier. It's basic, but trust me, there isn't a ninja around that doesn't use this technique."

His younger friend shrugged that off and muttered, "Still not as cool as summoning."

This time Jiraiya simply ignored the comment. "You know how to gather chakra to your center. Now, I want you to do that only this time I want you to picture something in your mind. Anything will do, but it has to be a single object. As you're thinking of that image, make the following signs." His hands made the signs for Dog, Boar and finally Tiger. "Once you've done that force the chakra from your center and send it to your fingers and toes. Got it?"

Both boys muttered acknowledgments.

"All right then, Konohamaru you try first."

"Piece of cake," the boy said closing his eyes to concentrate. For a few seconds he just stood there motionless. Then, he started to make the hand signs slower than Jiraiya had, but with the same confidence. Suddenly, Konohamaru disappeared behind a puff of smoke. As the cloud slowly dissipated, Naruto smiled because Konohamaru had transformed into a doppelganger of him.

"That's excellent Konohamaru," Jiraiya praised. "Naruto since he transformed into you are you able to see what he did wrong?"

Naruto frowned as he concentrated. Eyeing the transformed Konohamaru from head to toe, he spotted a small difference as he looked at his feet. Looking back and forth he said hesitantly, "Our toenails are different?" His feet suddenly became the object of intense interest as both of his companions stared at his feet.

"You're right," Konohamaru said.

"Yes, I didn't pick up on that," Jiraiya admitted.

"There's more wrong?" Konohamaru said a bit upset.

"A few small things," Jiraiya said pointing as he listed them. "Your T-shirt sleeves are a little too short as are your shorts Konohamaru. The hair is also a bit off."

"Yeah, but that's not a big deal," Naruto said feeling the need to come to Konohamaru's defense.

The man glanced at him with a slight smile. "You think so? One time when I was only a little older than you, I was on guard duty in the woods at night when I heard a rustling. It was a small squirrel. It looked like a squirrel and was acting like a squirrel, but I knew it was a ninja. Do you know why I knew that?"

Naruto thought for a second, but shrugged and said, "I don't know."

"Because of all the different species of squirrel there is only one type that is active during the night and this was not that type," he said with a knowing smile. "This jutsu is simple to learn and use, but virtually impossible to master. That's why I want you to pay attention to your surroundings. A little thing that's out of place might be your only clue that you're about to walk into an ambush. Of course, having said all of that, Konohamaru did pick the hardest thing to transform into. You see when you picture an image of a person you see every day it's hard to pick up on little things that change. So, you're up Naruto. You should pick something easier than a person for your first try."

Yeah right Naruto thought as he closed his eyes and pictured Konohamaru, concentrating on the small things. He would not take the easy road. Gathering his chakra, he pushed it out like he had been instructed to do, but at the last second he tried to picture Konohamaru with his hair a little longer. Hearing the popping sound, he opened his eyes only to discover he couldn't see. A second later he heard Konohamaru's laughter and he demanded, "What?"

Konohamaru continued to laugh and Jiraiya sounded just as amused. "Naruto, did you try to change the hair length at the last second?"

"What? Yeah," he said wondering how Jiraiya would know that as he tried to bring his hands up to his eyes.

"Well Naruto," Jiraiya said trying not to laugh himself, "you see if you make a change at the last second it tends to un… try to do both. Your hair is way too long and it's blocking your eyes and don't bother trying to move, it's an illusion."

"Tell me how to undo this!" Naruto demanded trying and failing to sound as if he was panicking.

"All right, all right," Jiraiya said still sounding too amused in Naruto's opinion. "Just try to pull your chakra to your center again. It doesn't take much and usually a good blow will also knock someone out of their Transformation. Now try canceling it." Doing as instructed, Naruto was able to cancel his Transformation as Konohamaru did the same.

"It's not that funny," Naruto muttered at his friend who was still giggling.

"Yeah, it was," Konohamaru replied. "You had my hair down here," he made a line across his nose.

"Anyway," Jiraiya said reminding them that he was still there, "I want you to practice this the whole day today. One of you Transform and I want the other to try to spot what's wrong with it. Try all different sorts of objects and when you're tired be sure to take a break because chakra exhaustion is not fun. Understand?" Both boys acknowledged his orders. The man nodded, and turning his head said into the woods. "You there behind that tree, if you're going to spy you might as well help out."

For a moment, Naruto thought that Jiraiya was having a senior moment when Inari stepped out from behind a tree looking a bit sheepish. "I wasn't spying," he protested in a quiet voice.

"Well, whatever," Jiraiya said gesturing him to come closer, "Did you hear what I said to them?"

"Well, yeah."

"Good, then you can help them spot their mistakes. I have to get going so train hard you two and Inari stay as long as you like." With that, he started walking off without a backward glance.

For a moment, the three boys stood there staring at each other. Naruto wondered how Inari would be today. Last night he had been completely different than when they had first met. He had been happy and laughing as they played the board game. His change in personality could not have been just from Konohamaru's blow job because, after all, Konohamaru was good, but not that good. Now, though, he was quiet like when they had first met.

The silence was starting to become uncomfortable and he knew he had to do something. "Hey, Inari do I look like your hat?" He tried to do the jutsu quickly and judging by the two boy's reactions, he had only partially succeeded.

Naruto's little stunt broke the ice between them and they spent the morning practicing. After a while, he experimented a little and deliberately tried to mess up sometimes. It made the others laugh and it also helped cover up his real mistakes. Konohamaru seemed to catch on to what he was doing, most noticeably transforming into Jiraiya, but with a huge round nose.

They broke for lunch and this time Tsunami prepared them a hot meal. Konohamaru and Inari were doing the majority of the chatting, but once food was put in front of them they both shut up and stuffed their faces just like Naruto was. Tsunami's cooking was a lot better than Jiraiya's, and while not as good as some of the fancier meals served to clients at the House, it definitely had something that seemed to make it superior than those meals. At least that was Naruto's opinion as he wolfed it down.

"So Inari," Tsunami spoke up, "it's your birthday tomorrow, are you looking forward to it?"

"I guess," Inari said pausing in his eating.

"Your birthday is tomorrow?" Naruto asked before adding, "Konohamaru's is seven days away."

"Six," Konohamaru interjected with a mouth full of food.

"Really?" Tsunami said surprised, "well, it looks like we'll be having two birthday parties in a week then."

"What's a birthday party like?" Konohamaru questioned.

"You don't know?" Inari asked disbelievingly.

"Naruto," his friend's tone pleaded for an answer.

The blonde had to think for a minute, wondering how to describe it. At the House they had been given the day off from working and some people would give presents like candy bars or transfer points during the day, if they liked you. Then, he remembered his own birthday only a few months ago with Jiraiya. "A birthday party is like when we went into that one town and only ate desserts on my birthday, but when there's a party there's usually presents and more people."

"And games," Inari chimed in "you two can come, right?"

"Yeah, it sounds like fun." Naruto said before wondering if Jiraiya would let them. After all, they did have training to get too.

The conversation started to drift after that as Inari described his previous birthdays and explained why some were more important than others. Naruto listened and occasionally asked a question, but Tsunami didn't say anything unless Inari asked her a direct question.

He didn't notice this at first, but after a while it did dawn on him that she was looking at him and Konohamaru differently. It was subtle and he only picked up on it because reading adult's emotions had been a valuable skill. Still, he wasn't exactly sure what was upsetting her. He had caught Jiraiya looking at them like this occasionally, but he had never been sure why, and since it wasn't a dangerous look, he dismissed it.

After lunch, the trio of boys went back outside to continue training. As they were walking through the woods, Konohamaru suddenly asked, "Hey Inari, are we supposed to give you a present tomorrow too?"

"Um, no you don't have too."

"Oh," Konohamaru said. "I wouldn't know what to get you unless you want another blow job?"

Inari's face reddened at the mention of yesterday's activity. "Well, that was nice, but I don't want my mom catching me doing a blow job."

"Receiving," Konohamaru corrected. "You received a blow job."

"Oh, well, I don't think my mom would be to happy if she knew."

Naruto thought for a second and then suggested, "Well, maybe we could camp out one night?" Both boys looked at him and he added, "You know Konohamaru like we do with Jiraiya. We could camp out here in the woods and we would be alone." He wasn't sure why he had suggested that, but he had.

For a second, there was silence and then Konohamaru shouted, "That's a great idea! We could do it tomorrow or the day after and we could have all sorts of fun. You could even teach us one of those games you know Naruto."

"Well, I guess I could," Naruto said hesitantly. Back at the House, sometimes when a group of them had been rented, they would play games with a client. "That is if Inari wants too?"

They both looked at the other boy who remained silent for a minute. "I don't know, my mom might not let me and I've never slept anywhere else except my bed."

"It will be fine. We'll ask her after dinner," Konohamaru said jumping up and down in excitement.

Naruto smiled, getting caught up in the others excitement. This might be fun he thought just a little uneasily, but excited too.

* * *

The next day was Inari's birthday and while Jiraiya didn't quite give them the day off from training, he limited it to the morning only. He had both of them show him the jutsu and was surprised at how well it was coming along which caused both of them to beam with pride. He then squashed their joy by giving a rather long lecture on how this particular jutsu should be used.

Apparently, there were times you should try very hard to copy an object exactly and other times you shouldn't since having two identical objects next to each other could be a dead giveaway. Naruto found the explanation very complicated and after a while just sort of tuned it out. When Jiraiya finished talking, he created two clones and said that once they destroyed them they could hang out with Inari for the rest of the day.

Both Naruto and Konohamaru attacked the clones with a particular viciousness, but even with that they weren't able to destroy them much faster than usual. Inari had come out to watch them for a while, but got bored with watching them fight and went back inside. When they had finally destroyed the clones, they went inside for lunch.

They may have had the afternoon off, but it was only after dinner that the party really started. Tsunami had baked a cake for the occasion which was served after dinner. Then, Inari was given several small presence by his mother and grandfather. After that they all, adults included played some party games.

The games here were significantly different than the ones that Naruto was familiar with, but also a great deal more fun. One required you to be blindfolded and attempt to pin a tail on a picture of a donkey. Jiraiya became so disoriented that he ended up wandering into the hallway almost, but never quite running into things as the entire group laughed at him. When the party started to wind down, Tsunami suggested that if they were going to camp out they might as well head out now. Jiraiya slipped out to set up the tent for them while Tsunami told Inari if he got scared during the night he could always come back home.

The three of them left going into the woods with flashlights leading the way. The tent itself was pretty large without an adult in it. Konohamaru could easily stand up in the center of the tent while Naruto would have to crouch a little. The fabric was heavy and dark. The light Konohamaru needed to sleep didn't show through the fabric which was something Jiraiya had checked.

Kicking off their sandals as they stepped inside, Naruto turned on the lamp as bright as he could to illuminate the inside of the tent. They had each brought a small backpack with them, although Naruto and Konohamaru's was considerably lighter then their usual load. For a while they just talked, but it was Inari who reminded them why they wanted to camp in the first place. "So, how do we play this game?"

"Yeah," Konohamaru seconded looking over at the blonde.

Naruto grinned, unexpectedly feeling butterflies flying around in his stomach. There was a part of him which didn't want to do this and another part that did. Still, everyone else wanted too, so he brought out a deck of cards which was one of the things that Jiraiya had bought them when they first started traveling together. He started to sort the cards, separating out all of the Spades as he explained the rules.

"Okay, this is a simple game. Basically we each draw a card and the lowest card is the loser. The loser has to do one thing that the winner says. All the cards are Spades, so you don't have to worry about suits, but I'm also throwing in two red cards," he held up a seven and nine of Hearts before shuffling the deck. If you pull one of those two cards you automatically lose along with whoever has the lowest card."

"How do you win?" Inari asked.

"Um," Naruto began, "you don't. The purpose is to have fun. Is that okay?"

"Oh, okay."

Naruto shuffled the cards while trying to show off a little with some fancy shuffling. Sakura had once claimed she could make the red cards appear where she wanted them to and had tried to teach him once, but the best he could ever do was make the red card appear on the bottom of the deck. Still, he didn't try any tricks like that this time.

Placing the cards in the center of the little triangle they had formed, he drew the first card, revealing it to be a four. He smiled to himself, knowing he probably lost the first-round. There were only two other cards he would be able to beat. Konohamaru pulled a seven which caused him to grin over at Naruto while Inari pulled a six.

Konohamaru took an exaggerated thinking pose and said slowly, "I think you should strip for us and stay that way."

Inari erupted in a fit of giggles as Naruto stood up on his knees and started to sway his hips to music that wasn't there. Smiling to himself, he decided to give them a real show and turned around as he slipped off his shirt. Standing up, he bent at the waist and shook his butt at them which produced more laughter. Pulling his shorts down, he placed his hands on the tent's floor and lifted his legs out of his shorts and kicked them to the side. With one hand, he reached back and pulled down his boxers in one motion and did the same thing to his shorts. Now naked, he twisted around keeping his hands on the ground and his back arched before collapsing back to his knees.

Both boys were staring at him and he smiled while drawing the next card which was a Jack. "Looks like I'm going to win."

Konohamaru drew a card and once he glanced at it said, "No you're not." He turned the card around to show that was the ace of spades. They both looked over at Inari who drew his own card and grinned sheepishly as he turned it around to show it was a two. "Strip," Konohamaru called out.

The other boy's face turned red. "I don't think I can do it like Naruto did."

"You don't have to copy me, just strip," Naruto said starting to feel a tingling in his penis.

Slowly, the other boy removed his hand and Naruto got a second look at Inari. The kid was small, but it was kind of nice to look at and it kind of made him feel excited to see. Konohamaru reached over and slowly touched the small organ. The other boy jumped again, but relaxed after a second. Konohamaru slowly brushed his fingertips along the testicles and slowly brought his fingers up to the shaft. He rubbed it between his fingers and Inari's erection turned out to be two inches, if just. Konohamaru kept rubbing it and Naruto looked up at Inari whose face seemed to have gone slack as he experienced the new sensation. Eventually, Konohamaru said, "I think that's it."

The boy laughed nervously and started to swing his arms from side to side. His little dance seem to relax him a little and he did a little spin before taking off his shirt and then with a quick motion dropped his boxers. Before anyone could really get a look at him, though, he collapsed back to his knees, covering himself and leaned forward laughing uncontrollably. His laughter was infectious and soon both Naruto and Konohamaru joined him even if none of them could really say what was so funny.

Once they had all recovered, Naruto took another card and this time it was the queen. Konohamaru went next and guffawed as he had drawn one of the red cards. Inari leaned forward and grabbed a card while keeping his other hand covering his privates. He flipped it over to reveal a three and complained, "I'm not having any luck!"

"The cards can be unfair," Naruto consoled.

"Just tell us what you want us to do," Konohamaru snapped, but with a smile.

Crossing his arms, he thought for a moment wondering what he could do. After a moment of thought he grinned and said, "All right you two, I want you two to kiss."

"Kiss! Boys can't kiss each other," Inari protested.

"Sure they can," Konohamaru spoke up. "Me and Naruto do it all the time."

"But, you're not naked yet!"

"It doesn't matter," Konohamaru said with a grin. "Now come on let's get this over with," he added as he scooted closer to Inari.

The other boy's face turned a deeper shade of red. "But I've never kissed anyone before. Well, my mom, but she doesn't count."

"It's not hard," Naruto reassured. "Just press your lips against his and relax."

Inari made a face, but turned towards Konohamaru and the two leaned in towards each other. Naruto felt himself become fully hard as he received an unexpected vicarious thrill as the two boy's lips touched. For a second, it looked like Inari was just going to brush his lips against Konohamaru's, but before Inari could pull back, he was pushed over and Konohamaru laid on top of him.

Naruto had to hold back a laugh as Inari pushed the other boy off of him and shouted in disbelief, "Did you just try to lick me?"

"No, I was trying to put my tongue in your mouth." Konohamaru said as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Inari made a face. "That's even worse."

Naruto chuckled at Inari's expression, he drew another card. It was a nine. Konohamaru followed a second later and his card was five. Quickly checking his memory, Naruto concluded that it looked like Konohamaru would be losing this round. Inari drew the King and shouted, "Strip."

Konohamaru didn't show any hesitation as he stood and started to dance much like Inari had. Removing his shirt, he tried to swing it around his head, but the tent didn't really allow for that and he just ended up tossing it in Inari's direction. Unbuttoning and then unzipping his pants, he swung his hips from side to side until they dropped off on their own accord. Then with a little spin, Konohamaru turned and bent over before dropping his boxers which he kicked over towards Naruto.

With all three of them now naked, they turned their attention back to the cards. There were only three left and one of them was a red card. Naruto smiled and thought of a way to add to the suspense. "How about we each take a card, but we turn them over on the count of three?"

Both boys nodded and each drew a card. Naruto started to count and when he said three they each turn their card over. Like the other two, his first reaction was to look at his card and he saw it was a ten which was the highest remaining card. A second later he heard Konohamaru groan because again he had pulled the red card while Inari had the remaining eight card.

"Well," Naruto said as he quickly tried to think of something the two of them could do together. Absentmindedly, he noticed while Inari was staring at him he wasn't looking at his face and he smiled as an idea hit him. "I think you two should have to make each other hard."

"How do we do that?" Inari asked.

"I'll show you," Konohamaru said, quickly grabbing his arm and pulling his protective hand away. When his hand touched the other boy, though, Inari jumped back laughing nervously.

"Come on," Konohamaru complained. "It's not like I'm going to hurt you."

"You promise?" Inari asked slowly straightening.

"Of course not, we're friends."

Slowly, the other boy removed his hand and Naruto got a second look at Inari. The kid was small, but it was kind of nice to look at and it kind of made him feel excited to see. Konohamaru reached over and slowly touched the small organ. The other boy jumped again, but relaxed after a second. Konohamaru slowly brushed his fingertips along the testicles and slowly brought his fingers up to the shaft. He rubbed it between his fingers and Inari's erection turned out to be two inches, if just. Konohamaru kept rubbing it and Naruto looked up at Inari whose face seemed to have gone slack as he experienced the new sensation. Eventually, Konohamaru said, "I think that's it."

"Okay, it's your turn now Inari."

It took the other boy a second to come out of his days and glanced down at Konohamaru's package nervously. It was already semi-hard and he slowly reached over to massage the semi erection. Konohamaru leaned back, clearly enjoying it a little more than Inari had and his growth was more visible too.

After a minute, Naruto could see Konohamaru wasn't going to call an end to it so he did. "That's enough."

His friend let out a groan as the others hand left him and after a second, he scooted back to his original position, still hard.

"Can we play again?" Inari asked.

"Yeah, let's play again," Konohamaru seconded.

Naruto smiled, "Yeah, sure , but Inari this time you get to shuffle the cards." Everyone seemed to be having fun, but Inari had kinda come out on the losing end with the last game and he didn't want to think they were picking on him.

Inari shuffled the cards for a few seconds before placing them in the center again and this time he drew the first card which was a seven. Naruto took the next card which turned out to be a three while Konohamaru drew a five.

"All right, what do you want me to do?"

Inari frowned as he really seemed to be having some difficulty coming up with something. After a few seconds, though, a smile crossed his face and he sat back on his butt and raised his left foot. "Lick my foot."

Konohamaru made a gagging sound, while Naruto simply grimaced. Licking feet was not his idea of fun, but it also wasn't the worst thing he had ever done either. Looking at Inari's foot, he could see it was pretty clean and he knew the boy had taken a bath last night.

Deciding to have a little fun, he grabbed Inari's ankle and yanked it forward which caused the boy to yelp in surprise. As he bought the foot close to his face he didn't notice much of a smell and he stuck out his tongue, licking from heel to toe as the other boy squealed. Deciding to have a little more fun, he sucked on the toe while Inari tried to push him away with his other leg and Konohamaru made more gagging sounds.

"That was disgusting," Konohamaru said. "You're not kissing me until you brush your teeth and drink a gallon of mouthwash."

Naruto made a kissing motion in his friend's direction which caused Inari to chuckle at Konohamaru's expression even as he tried to wipe his foot with a discarded pair of his boxers.

After they had settled down a little, Inari drew another card and groaned when he saw it was one of the red ones. Naruto grinned as he drew his own card, but ended up staring at it in disbelief as he found the other red card. Konohamaru quickly drew his own card and he would've been the winner even if he had not drawn the King.

"Double red," Konohamaru said with a grin, "I got to come up with something good for you two do." He paused for a second and said, "Naruto," he pointed at his erection and then pointed at Inari and said, "put it up his butt."

The tent suddenly fell silent. Naruto stared at Konohamaru, not believing he would ask something like that. Wasn't that something special that only they did together?

Inari's protest was much louder as he realized what was being asked. He had been sitting on his knees, but he backed away as far as the tent would allow and placed both of his hands under his butt as he pressed it against the ground. "No! I'm not doing that."

"You have too," the other boy protested. "It's the rules."

"No," Inari stated again.

Konohamaru was about to say something when Naruto cut him off, his tone unfamiliar even to his own ears. "He doesn't Konohamaru. No one ever forced you and you're not going to force anyone."

The grin that had been plastered across Konohamaru's face fell at his words and he almost seemed to shrink into himself embarrassed.

"I don't want to play anymore," Inari said quietly.

After a second, Naruto added while still staring at Konohamaru, "Yeah, let's go to bed."

The three of them got dressed quietly. Inari normally wore pajamas, but because he was sleeping outside he just slipped into his boxers and shorts like Naruto and Konohamaru did. It was a warm night outside and the tent floor was well insulated. As a result they ended up using their sleeping bags as blankets.

Just as Naruto was about to throw his bag over himself, Konohamaru slipped in next to his and rested against his side like he usually did. That simple action dispersed much of his anger and he made sure that the other boy was covered when he threw the sleeping bag over himself. He looked down at the boy who smiled up at him which was enough for him to forgive the younger boy without saying a word.

The three of them lied there in an uncomfortable silence for several minutes. After a while, the silence almost became claustrophobic and Naruto felt that if he didn't say something, he might end up screaming. He tried to think of something to say, but came up blank. Then, suddenly he remembered Hanabi, or more precisely the stories she had liked to hear. He had listened to many of those stories too, and many of them were committed to memory by now. Mentally going through the stories he could remember, he settled on the story about wandering samurai who had the worst case of luck ever. "So you want to hear a story?"


	13. Vierpoint

The days leading up to his birthday were fun for Konohamaru. The five days fell into the simple pattern of train and then play. Hide and seek became a popular game, especially when Naruto and he would transform. Of the three of them, Inari was probably the best at spotting their transformation. He had a knack for it that he couldn't really explain which sort of annoyed Konohamaru.

When the actual day of his birthday rolled around, Jiraiya gave them the day off from training and the three of them spent the morning playing hide and seek in the woods. By lunchtime the sky had turned an ominous dark gray color, completely blocking out the sun and Tsunami insisted they play inside for the rest of the day.

The three of them went upstairs to play. They had a couple of hallway races and played a game called Stop which had been a favorite at the House. One of them would be it and stand at one end of the hallway and turn around so he was facing the wall. The other two of them would either walk or run towards the third. The person who was it would turn around and the other two would have to stop. If either of them moved so much as a muscle when the person who was it was looking at them, they would have to go back to the other end of the hallway.

That was how they passed the time until they heard thunder and ran to Inari's room to watch the storm. Rain started to fall as they climbed up onto the desk to get a better view. He and Inari sat directly on the desk while Naruto leaned against the desk behind them. For a while, they watched the rain slash at the waves that were increasing in size and becoming choppier. After a few minutes Konohamaru started to feel a little uneasy.

"Hey, Inari is your house safe? I mean it's built over the water."

"Yeah it's safe." Inari said shrugging, "The pylons are embedded in the bed rock."

"Um, what does that mean?"

"Oh right."Inari smiled sheepishly as he held up his hand horizontally. "This is the mud underwater over my house." Using his other hand he put a finger between his other fingers. "The pylons are the poles that suspend my house over the water. They're driven into the mud until they hit the rock under the mud and are drilled into that. It makes my house more stable than the ones on shore."

"Cool."

"Yeah," Naruto spoke up from behind them "you're smart Inari."

Inari's cheeks reddened at the compliment. "I'm just saying what my grandpa told me." Then he added in a rush, "We don't have to worry about storm surges either because of all the islands behind us and the fact that the mainland is so close. The storm would have to come in at a really weird angle for that to happen."

Konohamaru smiled, thinking he could tease the other boy a little more. "And what is storm surge?"

This time, the question caused Inari to hide his face in his hands which caused Konohamaru to laugh. When Inari looked back up his face was completely red. "Sometimes if the wind keeps blowing in the same direction it makes the water pile up on shore like a really high tide."

There was a flash of lightning that drew their attention back to the scene outside and Konohamaru heard himself say, "Awesome! I've never seen a storm like this."

"We get these all the time. It's a little early in the season, but it looks pretty typical to me."

He nodded at the other boy's words and watched the waves. They were kind of hypnotic and after a few minutes he muttered, "I'm kind of thirsty."

"Yeah, me too." Inari said to no one in particular.

"I'll go ask Tsunami if we can have something." Naruto offered before turning and leaving the room.

As they could hear Naruto going down the hallway a thought occurred to Konohamaru and he voiced it with a sigh. "I guess we won't be camping outside tonight."

"Yeah, there's no way my mom would let me camp out in this." Inari finished quietly.

Konohamaru shrugged. "I've camped out in storms before, but it's really no fun…" he trailed off with the last word realizing they wouldn't be able to mess around like they did last time. He had hoped Naruto and he could do something special for his special day too. Actually, he was hoping to do something with just Naruto for a while. The two of them hadn't had much alone time unless they were training. Maybe tomorrow he could talk Naruto into ducking out on some of their training before Inari showed up.

"Are we friends?"

Inari's question had broken into his thoughts and was so unexpected that he looked over at the other boy in surprise. "Yeah, at least I think so. I've never had many friends so I really don't know."

"Then why did you want Naruto to hurt me!"

The other boy had raised his voice with the last two words which caused him to shrink away. "I didn't do that." Konohamaru's voice was weak and confused.

"Yes you did."

"When?" Konohamaru demanded, recovering and getting angry about being falsely accused.

"When we were camping," Inari answered looking back out of the window.

It took Konohamaru a moment to realize what the other boy was talking about and when he did he felt a little awkward. "I'm sorry," he said quietly feeling a little guilty as he thought back about his own first time.

He had still been at the House at the time and he had been feeling confused. Everyone around him had been having sex so, in a way, he felt like he was sort of an outsider. There was a small part of him that wanted to be like the others, but at the same time he was scared. Most of the time there wasn't a problem with the clients, but sometimes there was a problem. Some of the stories he had heard scared him and he really didn't want to do that sort of thing. The looks he received when he passed some clients in the hallway or when he was doing his time as a waiter made him feel uneasy. It wasn't like he couldn't imagine what they were thinking. Lewd comments and people who simply couldn't wait to get to a room had provided him with ample examples.

At the same time, though, he was curious. Sex had seemed to be fun too. Some of the others had paired off and sometimes a group would even play a game like he had with Inari and Naruto. However, his fear and inexperienced automatically had banned him from joining in those games. Even now he could remember being curled up in his bunk, hearing a game going on in the game room and knowing he wouldn't be welcomed. It hurt to be excluded.

Konohamaru couldn't really pinpoint when he had decided to do something about it, but the idea that it would have been anyone else besides Naruto for his first time was inconceivable. Even before they had started to have sex he had always enjoyed being around the blonde. It wasn't simply because Naruto was keeping him away from the clients, he had always just liked being around the other boy. It was weird how he could be having a completely miserable day and then Naruto would be there and he would be happy. Perhaps stranger was when Naruto was having a bad day he seemed to be able to cheer him up. The blonde always seemed to be happy on the outside, but he had a six sense for telling when the other boy was upset and somehow he could make him always feel better.

Setting up the actual situation for his first time had been simple. He had kept his internal debate to himself, but once he had set his mind to it, it wasn't hard to set up. Konohamaru had waited until he had clean up duty. It was a simple job that basically involved cleaning up a room after the clients left. Changing sheets and taking dishes away was the bulk of the work.

Towards the end of the shift, he had convinced his partner that he could finish the rest of the rooms by himself. They had happily agreed. Quickly dashing through the remaining rooms, he ended up waiting outside the room he knew Naruto was in. When a pair of clients left the room he had pretended as if he was cleaning the hallway, and after a few minutes had gone in.

That was when his plan had hit its first and only snag. Naruto hadn't been as willing as he thought he would be. At first, he got angry and then he tried to talk him out of it. He even tried to complain he was too tired to do it now, but Konohamaru knew him too well and Naruto never tired. He had insisted and argued and finally he had sworn him to secrecy.

His first and their first real kiss had been something. He had pecked the older boy on the cheek a few times, but when their lips had met it was nothing like that. He had been left tingling all over and at that moment he would have done anything Naruto had suggested. They had gone slowly and all the way. It was an experience that Konohamaru couldn't forget. In the days leading up to the moment he had played out different scenarios in his mind and his fantasies had fallen far short of reality.

It wasn't perfect, his inexperience saw to that, but Naruto had been perfect. Once he got past his initial reluctance, the older boy had been gentle and kind. Naruto had explained as they had gone along, both with his words and his actions. When the other boy had been inside of him for the first time it was a little weird, but at the same time it felt so right. After all of that, though, they had simply lied there together for a long time. They had talked and sometime during that conversation one of them had said that they loved the other. Konohamaru couldn't remember who had said it first and that was the only detail he couldn't remember, but he did remember that it hadn't been so much as a realization as simply putting his feelings into words.

As he thought back on his own first time, a fresh wave of guilt washed over him. Shifting uncomfortably, he was quiet for a minute before adding, "I guess I got carried away. I forgot that I was really scared to do it for a long time too." Then he perked up and said in his defense. "Still, Naruto is really good at it and it feels great. I just wanted to share that with you."

Inari looked over at him and said stunned, "You've actually done that?"

"Well yeah." He felt a grin spreading across his face. "It's really nice. Well, it's really nice when Naruto does it at least. I've only ever done it with him. It feels so good he ask me to do it to him sometimes, which I don't like all that much, but it makes him happy."

The other boy slowly turned to face him, his head cocked to one side. "You're serious. Doesn't it hurt?"

Konohamaru had to think about that for a moment. "Well, it's never hurt me when I do it with Naruto, but I know other people say it does." As he thought about it, the only time he had ever heard someone complain was when they did it with a client, but he couldn't say for sure.

"Really? What does it feel like?" Inari asked shifting nervously on the desk.

"Wonderful," was the first and only word out of his mouth. He wanted to say more, but he didn't know where to start. The physical feelings were so odd and unique he didn't know how to describe them. Perhaps even stranger were the other feelings he felt that he didn't know how to describe. When he was joined with Naruto like that he felt safe and complete, but he didn't know how to tell that to Inari.

Thinking back on that night, he said apologetically, "I thought you were having fun."

This time it was Inari's turn to be uncomfortable. "I was having fun. It was weird, but it was fun. I was a little embarrassed to be naked at first, but after a while it was exciting. I felt like I was getting away with something and then, well, I just thought that you wanted to pick on me, but Naruto didn't seem to like the idea, so I was confused."

This time Konohamaru blushed. Naruto had always protected him and he had let himself get carried away. Still, it wasn't like Naruto was a client or anything. Needing to say something to stop his thoughts, he asked, "What did you like the most?"

Inari looked away, clearly embarrassed and that only made Konohamaru want to know more. He nudged the other boy who said in a strained tone, "Well, at first I thought it was disgusting, but I kind of liked when we kissed. Just the beginning and not when you pushed me over."

He chuckled, "Yeah, I like kissing too." Then a thought occurred to him and he asked, "You want to try doing it again?"

Inari's laugh was nervous, but he said, "Sure."

* * *

Naruto bounced down the stairs wondering if he should give Konohamaru his present now or wait. He decided he would wait and headed for the kitchen where Tsunami was staring at the kitchen window. She didn't seem to notice that he was there so he coughed which did draw her attention.

"Naruto," she said his name with a smile "can I help you?"

He smiled back, wondering why he always liked when she smiled at him. "Could we have something to drink? We are kind of all thirsty."

"Of course," she said heading towards the fridge. A minute later she handed him a plate with three glasses of iced tea on it. "Can you carry it up by yourself or do you want help?"

"I got it." As he took the plate he moved the glasses closer together into the center and held it up with one hand balancing it. "It's just like busing tables," he said flashing a grin and turning around to go back upstairs.

Naruto hummed to himself absentmindedly as he climbed the stairs. He was happy. Actually, he was happier than he could remember being in a long time. His training was going well and Konohamaru and he had found a friend. It was fun playing with Inari even if it was cutting into his and Konohamaru's alone time. Briefly, he wondered if they could cut out early on their training for a little so they could have some special alone time.

The morning after they had camped out he had worried that Inari would be upset with Konohamaru, but both boys seemed to put the incident behind them and he quickly followed suit. Even though he didn't want to remember, his first time remained vivid in his memory. It was something he had tried to protect Konohamaru from, and for the most part he had succeeded. He had made sure that Konohamaru didn't do those sorts of things with the clients and it kind of stung that his friend had allowed himself to get carried away like that. Still, no harm had been done.

When Naruto had left Inari's room, he hadn't bothered to close the door so when he walked into the doorway he saw the two kissing and froze. He watched for a second, stunned. The two were going at it enthusiastically, and unlike last time Konohamaru wasn't dominating Inari. This time it didn't seem like a dare or a joke.

The two boys continued to kiss for a few more seconds, which felt like minutes to Naruto. Then they broke apart, Inari gasping for air and Konohamaru smiling. He noticed Naruto standing in the doorway and smiled, "What did she give you?"

It took Naruto a second to remember that he was holding their drinks and he muttered, "Iced tea." He wanted to ask what exactly they had just been doing, but it was obvious what they had been doing, he just didn't know why.

As he opened his mouth to say something he heard Jiraiya shout from downstairs. "Boys come down here."

The three of them glanced at each other. None of them had ever heard that tone before. Then the spell was broken and the three of them raced downstairs. Jiraiya was standing in the kitchen along with Tazuna, who were both soaked to the bone. Then an unfamiliar smell reached his nose and it took him a second to find Monkiibijinesu standing off to the side, his fur soaked.

"Everyone listen up. He's coming," Jiraiya spoke in the same voice he used before and Naruto found himself stiffening in response to the tone, if not the message. "Naruto turn on all the lights and everyone else go into the room where I've been sleeping and wait, I'm going to intercept him." He waited for a heartbeat and then shouted, "Move!"

It took Naruto a second to understand that he had been given a task to do and then he burst into action, running upstairs and flipping on any light switch he came across. When he went back downstairs, he saw that Monkiibijinesu was standing guard in front of the doorway to the room. The monkey stepped into the hallway to let him pass. Lightning flashed and for a second the lights dimmed in the room before brightening again.

Konohamaru ran towards him as soon as he entered the room and hugged him tightly. Naruto squeezed him back, finding comfort in the gesture. He looked around the room to see Tsunami hugging her son tightly as they both crouched on the floor with Tazuna leaning over both of them protectively. For a moment, he found himself staring at them. In an unusual moment of clarity, he understood they were trying to protect what was important to them as best as they could. Mother protected son, father protected daughter. So who would protect them… Jiraiya? Maybe, he still wasn't sure if he trusted him or not. Well, Konohamaru had at least one other person that would protect him.

Naruto tried to push the other boy away, but he held fast. "Konohamaru, let go." His voice was calm and maybe that was why Konohamaru loosened his embrace as he looked up at him. He led him over to the wall, pushing him against it. Putting his hands on the smaller shoulders, he pushed down as he knelt with them. Leaning forward, he kissed his friend's forehead and said, "Stay here."

The boy looked up at him confused, scared and speechless. Naruto had to smile at that rare sight as he stood back up. Turning around, he headed for the doorway, stepping past Monkiibijinesu as he took a position in front of the monkey.

"Hey, I can't protect you if you're standing in front of me."

"I'm protecting Konohamaru." Naruto stated in a flat tone.

Monkiibijinesu chuffed and then stepped in front of him. Naruto watched as he plucked a hair from his arm, and with a small puff of smoke transformed it into a kunai. He spun it around his fingers so the blade was in his palm and held it out to him, "Here, it's the only weapon you're familiar with right?"

"Yeah." He took it, his fingers wrapping around the handle and he could feel its almost familiar weight. He didn't really know what he was doing or even how he was feeling right now, but he would continue to protect Konohamaru. Even if the boy didn't feel the same as he did, he loved him.


	14. Of Enemies, Allies and Mysterious

Authors note: To my readers allow me to apologize for uploading the same chapter twice. It was an accident and I corrected the mistake as soon as it was brought to my attention. To the anonymous person who notified me thank you. Chapter 12 has now been replaced with the correct chapter and for those of you who don't want to go back and read it all you need to know that the three of them participated in some mature activities. It's actually a plot point, but you really don't need to know the details if you don't care. Anyways again I apologize and this is the last chapter I have in reserve and the way my health has been lately I don't know when I'll get around to the next chapter.

* * *

Tazuna was really the worst type of person to be a bodyguard for, Jiraiya thought as he glanced up at the menacing sky. It wasn't really the man's fault, but purely situational. Tazuna was an average guy who lived in an average house and went about an average day and that was the problem. A set of extraordinary circumstances had made him a target worthy of going to the cost of hiring a ninja. Now all those things that made him ordinary made him an easy target.

Tazuna was not used to thinking about his own personal security or at least not in the way nobles and other people in positions of power were used to thinking about it. Then there was his house which was completely ordinary. About the only security feature it could boast was that it was suspended over the water, which was not really an obstacle to a ninja. Of course, it was his ordinary life that was proving to be the biggest obstacle.

Every day he would get up and go to the same place and then went back home. It was monotonous and predictable. Even changing the exact route didn't do much for security since they had to depart from the same location. About the only good news was Tazuna was a workaholic. He left just early enough to avoid crowds or as much of a crowd as this economically depressed country could produce. At least Jiraiya didn't have to worry about someone in a crowd with a knife.

The storm, which had been threatening to break all day, finally did. It started with one big drop that hit him right on the head. A few seconds later he was drenched as the remaining workers finished securing the worksite and started to run home. Tazuna was the last man off the bridge and he seemed to ignore the rain like the inconvenience it was.

"All right, let's head home," The man snapped as he walked by, doubtlessly irritated that his dreams of completing the bridge today had been defeated by the disagreeable weather.

"Yeah, I don't relish being the tallest object in this thunderstorm." Jiraiya said as they started walking. On the outside he attempted to seem nonchalant, but the bodyguard in him was worried. The bingo book said and his brief battle with Raiga seemed to confirm that he was adept at using lightning. Considering the man's reputation, he should assume that he would take advantage of this storm to enhance the power of his jutsu.

Not that he felt the need to inform Tazuna of that. However, even without warning, Jiraiya was pretty sure that Tazuna knew there would be another attempt on his life soon. The bridge was near completion and there were no signs that the individual or group that had replaced Gato had changed their opinion of the bridge itself. Actually, Jiraiya had started to wonder if perhaps they would wait for the bridge to be completed and then attack and destroy it, which would be a far more psychologically devastating blow than just leaving the bridge uncompleted.

However Raiga intended to finish his job, he would have to stop him and Jiraiya still hoped to recruit the man. The day after the first attack on the bridge, he had surreptitiously summoned half a dozen small toads to keep an eye on the construction site in case he attempted the exploding tag trick again. He still hadn't quite figured out how the man had managed to time the explosives so accurately and that annoyed him. He had formed a similar network of toads around Tazuna's house, only instead of watching for sabotage their job was to sense an intruder's approach.

That was why; when he heard the distinctive sound of air suddenly being displaced over the noise of the rain, he wasn't surprised. As he looked down and to his right he saw a dinner size plate toad staring back up at him.

"He's coming from the Southwest, approximately one thousand yard and approaching at a walking pace."

Jiraiya nodded and the toad disappeared with its purpose fulfilled. Tazuna had walked ahead several steps before realizing that he was no longer at his side. His expression was neutral and the ninja could only wonder what it morphed into when he darted forward, picking him up and swinging the bridge builder over his shoulder before jumped to the nearest rooftop.

The shortest distance between any two spots was a straight line and he managed to cut the usual ten minute walk down to three, hearing accusations of his questionable parentage the entire way. Landing in front of the walkway, he wasn't surprised to see Monkiibijinesu already waiting by the door. Jiraiya wasn't sure why these particular summons were so loyal to the Sarutobi clan, but right now he was just glad for it. "You stay with the boys," he said to the monkey as he passed him by. The monkey's response was some sort of sound which he interpreted as, "What else would I do."

He burst into the kitchen, startling Tsunami and with Tazuna close behind him said, "He is coming." For a second she paled, but his respect for her immediately increased as she nodded. Jiraiya had assumed several possibilities, one of which was the house being attacked itself and he had given her instructions in what to do in each situation. They were more to keep her from panicking, but that could be important enough. Then, he called upstairs.

He left a moment later trying not to think of how terrified everyone had looked. It had been a long time since he had been a bodyguard and he had forgotten how hard it was sometimes seeing the faith people put in you. Unconsciously, he clenched his jaw. This was it. He would either have to convince Raiga to join him or he would have to kill him.

The rain started to fall in sheets, cutting visibility down to fifty yards or so. Entering the woods didn't help much. Briefly, he entertained the idea of going into Sage Mode, but senjutsu was his move of last resort. He would just have to intercept Raiga before he got too close to the house. Sparing a glance behind him; he was satisfied to see that the house looked unusually bright although it was only a vague glow through the rain. With any luck, if Raiga saw that it might give him pause, even for a second.

When the glow from the house could barely be seen he stopped and crouched. He quickly went through a series of hand signs that ended with him placing a hand on the ground. For a moment, he saw the world in a new way. It was one of sound waves and he could sense the drops of rain hitting the ground as they made their way through the branches. He could feel the way the trees bent with the gust of wind, wanting to topple but their root system holding them firm. He filtered all of that out and found what he was looking for, the steady steps of a man who was not in a hurry.

Raiga was about five hundred feet away and if Jiraiya stayed where he was, the man would pass within thirty feet of him, which would be close enough. Positioning himself so that a tree would hide him from the man's approach, he waited patiently following the footsteps.

The major disadvantage to the technique he was using was that it encouraged overconfidence. The technique was meant to facilitate ambushes, but an ambush could easily be turned around and when Jiraiya felt the hairs on his arms start to stand up he darted out from behind the tree just before it exploded in a brilliant flash.

The Sannin felt several splinters hit him and a few definitely pierced his skin, but he hardly noticed. Raiga was still close enough for him to spring his own trap. Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld was a technique that responded directly to the amount of chakra an individual put into it. This time Jiraiya only wanted it to be waist deep.

The ground turned into a soft mud, and with their roots no longer firmly planted several trees toppled with the sound of cracking branches and protesting wood. The collateral damage was extensive and was made worse by the fact that Raiga had jumped from the ground a second before the mud could take him.

Raiga landed on one of the newly fallen trees, which meant he was still close enough for Jiraiya to instigate his initial plan. He jumped into the air as lightning shot across the ground in little white-hot arcs. He was able to complete his series of hand signs as the lightning passed under him and slammed his hands down onto the branch.

The world changed around them as Jiraiya summoned the Toad Mouth Bind, only this time he was inside along with Raiga. The wall started to contract and in the pitch darkness he could hear Raiga starting to attack the walls. He grimaced to himself knowing how fruitless that would be. The walls continued to contract, and as they closed in the other man's attempts to break free became more and more frantic. Jutsu were performed that were blinding in their intensity, but finally the walls were able to restrain him.

Jiraiya could still hear the other man struggling as he spat out a small quantity of Toad Oil and then ignited it a second later with a fire Jutsu. The small puddle of oil burned, casting an eerie light that only barely illuminated both of them. As poor as the light was, it provided him with his best look at his opponent so far.

Raiga wore a heavy cloak with the hood currently pulled back that revealed a surprisingly smooth face which was currently twisted with a look that if could kill would turn him to ash. His body was slightly turned with one of his hands in the toad's esophagus as was one of his feet, which he had probably attempted to use to lever himself free. Both of his swords were stuck firmly into the wall, but what struck Jiraiya was the portion of his chest. His torso seemed bulky, far too bulky for what he could see of his arms and legs, almost as if he was carrying a pack under his cloak.

"Raiga Kurosuki, we finally meet."

"I'm going to kill you."

The words were delivered calmly, almost as if they were a statement of fact rather than a threat. Jiraiya decided to try to sound amused. "You're in the esophagus of a fire-breathing toad. One contraction and you'll know the unique sensation of being digested. Killing me right now would only seal your fate."

He saw the man understood and he continued. "You and I are somewhat alike. Were both rogue ninja and I'm sure both of our villages would like to see us dead."

The man snorted either in derision or agreement.

"The difference between you and I is I am not alone. I fully intend to take back my village from the despot who took it over."

"A counter coup?"

Jiraiya nodded and realized that when said like that, it sounded petty. "Yeah, our preparations are almost complete, but we could use you."

Perhaps his words weren't as elegant as he had wished, because Raiga's reaction was to laugh. "You want me to join you? Now why would I do that?"

For a moment, Jiraiya was tempted to say because otherwise you're going to be digested, but instead he just waited for the man's laughter to die down. "Because you're from the Mist village and you know they'll continue to hunt you down for the rest of your life. I'm offering you the rank of Jonin in Konohagakure once we take it back. They won't be able to reach you in the village. It's the only safe place you'll ever find."

What happened next truly astonished the Sannin as a third voice joined the conversation. It was high and childlike, but the voices words were definitely not anything a child should say.

"Raiga, I don't mind dying with you, but who will hold our funeral then?"

The former Mist ninja tilted his head to the side and said, "You think we should take the deal then?"

Again, the voice spoke, but this time Jiraiya was able to place that it was actually coming from the man, which was the only place that actually made sense considering where they were.

"We could always leave, if you don't like it. I don't want you to stop showing me things."

"I will," Raiga said quietly before turning and saying, "I will help you in your countercoup."

Jiraiya nodded, acknowledging his answer before glancing at the remaining puddle of oil to see how much time they had left. "All right, but the voice you were talking to, it sounds like a child's. Who is it?" As he spoke, he ordered the esophagus to relax, freeing the man. The man stared at him and for a second Jiraiya wondered if he had made a mistake releasing him so soon.

"Ranmaru, he is my eyes."

A small voice in Jiraiya's head told him to leave the subject be, at least for now. "All right, now, since the man you're hired to assassinate is allowing me to use his house as a safe house, I think we'll have to go pay a visit to your employer and persuade him to lay off."

Raiga's swords fell free, and as he bent over to pick him up he started to chuckle. "Kanaye is not a man that can be persuaded."

The Sannin nodded, not really surprised by the answer. Despite his wishes, he had been drawn into the situation in Wave on a personal level. Tazuna was a good man and didn't deserve to be killed by some thug. "Then we may have to do something more permanent."

Jiraiya played the fool because he found it fun, but a fool who was a ninja would not have lived as long as he had. Although, he had a tentative agreement with Raiga, that didn't mean he fully trusted him just yet. Having the man turn on his employer served two purposes in that. It would protect Tazuna and burn Raiga's bridges. Still, he gave the man a wide berth, allowing him to take the lead.

They entered the village, but at such an angle that Tazuna's house was never in view which was reassuring. The rain had let up considerably, but it was still coming down steadily as they made their way to the wharf. A handful of ships were in port and all were dark, clearly waiting out the storm. Identical warehouses were on the other side and Raiga paused at one that seemed no more remarkable than any other.

"He's here," Raiga said.

Jiraiya eyed the building. From the front there were two entrances, a small door for people and a much larger door that was used to move cargo in and out. In short, it was very typical of any warehouse located on any dock in the world. Even without peering through a window, he had a pretty good idea of what the insides look like. There may or may not be crates inside, but there might be a walkway suspended above the floor and maybe even be a small office up there, too.

"It's an ambush."

The words were barely audible over the rain and had come from the still unseen Ranmaru. He turned and frowned, not knowing how to address his question and just decided to say it, "How can you tell?"

"Ranmaru is my eyes," Raiga said to him before addressing Ranmaru, "How?"

He found himself leaning in closer to hear the muffled explanation. "Kanaye is sitting at the bottom of the stairs. There are four men hiding among the crates with crossbows."

Jiraiya wondered what exactly Ranmaru was. If he could see through walls like that, it suggested he had the Hyuga bloodline which would be a disturbing thought. Clans were usually protective of their blood inheritances, but the occasional bastard child always did happen and it was all too easy to envision a young Kunoichi seducing some hapless male and obtaining the necessary genetic material. That was immediately followed by a more disturbing thought, for the Mist village had been known to experiment with genetics to some success, and for a moment he pictured a mass of inhuman flesh and eyes that had been named Ranmaru.

He was pulled out of his thoughts as Raiga started to make a series of hand signs "Stop!"

"What?"

"You were going to use some big lightning attack." Raiga looked as if he was crazy, and knowing how Mist ninjas tended to deal with situations, he was. "Let's try to keep collateral damage to a minimum."

To the other man's credit, he did listen to his reasoning and his plan. A moment later, Jiraiya created a shadow clone and transformed it to look like Raiga and sent it in to the building via the smaller door which was left deliberately ajar.

The rain stopped and he could hear Ranmaru telling Raiga what was happening inside. His mind had reached the point of overload and now was just accepting the changing events, but he knew on some level he would have to learn more about these two, especially since they would be working together in the future. Then, he received the memories from the clone which consisted of a man presumably Kanaye asking if he had killed the man and once the clone had said yes, the trap was sprung.

At least two arrows had hit the clone before it had been destroyed and that was the signal for them to burst into the warehouse. The warehouse had been semi-empty and the four crossbow men had been hiding behind a row of low crates. With some relief, he noticed that all four hostiles had fired their weapons. Each of the men were stunned as their target had suddenly disappeared.

Jiraiya was on the first man before he could recover, jumping over the crates a kunai in his right hand. It slipped easily into the man's right eye socket, sending him into shock a second before it killed him. Drawing another kunai with his left hand, he threw it at the next man in line catching him in the throat. The first man's body dropped to the ground and the kunai came free in his hand. Stepping forward, he spun throwing a weapon, catching the third man in line in the chest. Before that body hit the ground, he had covered half the distance to the fourth man who was trying to reload his crossbow. With a flick of the wrist the man was pelted with shuriken.

He spared a second to confirm each of the men was dead, knowing he would feel guilty later. Under different circumstances he would've captured these men easily enough and handed them over to local authorities, but that was impossible here for so many reasons. Turning his attention to Raiga, he saw him chasing Kanaye up the stairs. Just as the sword was about to cut Kanaye down, the man spun around and Raiga jolted to a stop before doubling over against the railing.

Jiraiya acted without thought and with a chakra assisted leap, he almost landed right behind the man on the stairs. Kanaye tried to spin around, his arm leading the way, but was blocked by Jiraiya who heard the distinctive sound of a wire losing tension as something flew out from underneath the man's loose sleeves. Everything clicked at that moment and he realized the man must be wearing some sort of small wrist crossbow. With that realization, he brought his free hand up into the man's nose, breaking it and forcing pieces of cartilage into his brain. The man tumbled over the railing, dead before he hit the ground.

Turning his attention to Raiga, he knelt down only to see a small bolt sticking out of his stomach. Blood was dripping from it, almost black in color and although he didn't know much about medicine, he had seen injuries like this before. The projectile had hit his liver and without immediate medical attention he would bleed out in about forty minutes or so.

"Come on, you have to lay down."

He reached out to grab the other man's arm, but it was swatted away with a shout of "No!" The man looked up at him his smooth facial features now coated in a sheen of sweat. "Ranmaru."

For a second he didn't understand, but then it clicked. Ranmaru was on his back. The cloak obscured that fact, but he had heard the voice come from there before so either a person or something that might have once been a person was there. Raiga wouldn't be able to sit down, let alone lay down without putting pressure on Ranmaru.

"Raiga, you can't die," Ranmaru said his voice muffled.

"I'm fine. I won't leave you." Raiga said in a raspy voice, barely above a whisper.

For a second Jiraiya hesitated, unsure how to proceed. The man needed medical attention that was beyond his knowledge, but one thing he was sure of was that moving him now would just aggravate the injury. He was slightly annoyed that the man had allowed himself to be injured, but a surprising number of ninjas met their end like this.

"Listen, you need to have your injury treated. You need to sit. I'll make sure Ranmaru is safe."

The man hesitated for a second, blood still dripping from the wound. He nodded slowly and Jiraiya helped him down the stairs. At the bottom Raiga shrugged out of his cloak, and to the Sannin's infinite relief, he saw the man was wearing something like a backpack. He had half convinced himself that this Ranmaru would be some weird symbiotic creature permanently attached to Raiga. Removing the backpack that presumably had Ranmaru in it was something he did with extra caution, more for Raiga's peace of mind than anything else.

Jiraiya realized that the bag was oddly light as he gently laid it on the floor before allowing Raiga himself to slide down the wall. He took another glance at the small arrow lodged in the man's stomach. Briefly, he wished he had learned more than the advanced basics, but he never received more than the standard lessons all Jonin received before taking on a Genin team.

He was so concentrated on Raiga and his wound that when he heard the sound of a zipper it threw him for a second before he looked down at the bag. His imagination had pictured Ranmaru as something malformed, but what emerged was anything but that.

Ranmaru had the gentle features of a child. His hair was lavender and long, but he wasn't sure if this child was male or female, having that androgynous appearance that some children had. The only other feature he noticed was that his eyes were brown which came as a surprise simply because he had been half expecting some form of the Byakugan.

His movements were a little stiff as he climbed his way out of the bag. Absentmindedly, Jiraiya noticed that he didn't use his legs to kick his way free like most kids would, but rather used his hands to scoot his way free. Briefly, he wondered if the kid was paralyzed.

Shaking his head, he pulled his attention away from the boy and back to Raiga. The two were staring at each other and it seemed that the boy's presence was having a calming effect on the other man.

"All right, I'm going to get someone who can treat your wound. You two stay here and I'll be back in a few minutes. Whatever you do don't remove the arrow." He received a wheeze from Raiga and a slight nod from Ranmaru. When he stood to leave, Jiraiya had a twinge of guilt for leaving the young boy here, but if he had been traveling with Raiga this probably wouldn't have been the worst thing he had seen.

Turning, he ran out of the building before taking to the roofs. On the off chance that he might have needed it, he had learned where the local hospital was or at least what passed as the hospital. Even using the handful of landmarks he picked out on his first day here it took him longer to triangulate then he would've preferred to find the squat building. Wave's hospital was less than a quarter the size of Konoha's and had apparently been hit with the economic woes that had struck the rest of the country.

The reception area was dimly lit and completely devoid of any staff. Instead there was a buzzer on the receptionist desk that had a makeshift quality to it. The sign next to it had two words that said ring in emergency, which he did, hearing a faint buzzing sound.

A light turned on from an adjacent room moments before a man emerged looking as if he had been sleeping in his clothes. "Yeah yeah, what's your problem?"

Jiraiya stared at the man skeptically for a minute before deciding beggars shouldn't be choosers. "There was an accident at one of the warehouses. A man has a piece of metal stuck in his stomach and we weren't sure if we should move him or not."

The man nodded. "All right, you did the right thing." Turning around, he called back into the room, "Shin, get your ass up. We have an emergency."

Jiraiya always forgot how slow civilians could be even when they were supposedly in a rush. He was pretty sure that Naruto and Konohamaru would've been faster than these two. His concern for Raiga was growing by the minute. It wasn't so much that he liked the man or even the fact that he needed him, but simply the sense that they were comrades. No matter how small the mission was, no matter how brief, he always had that feeling once he fought alongside someone.

Arriving at the warehouse, they found an unsettling scene. The small arrow had been pulled out of Raiga, but he wasn't bleeding. Ranmaru was crumpled next to him and for a second Jiraiya thought the boy might be dead, but the men checked both of them and announced they were healthy, but unconscious. It was only then that the men realize there were a lot more bodies in the warehouse.

"What the hell's going on!" Shin demanded.

Jiraiya didn't answer as his mind worked through the problem. His knowledge of Jutsu was vast and even though he could think of one that might explain the situation, his mind rejected the possibility, but there didn't seem to be another answer. Creation Rebirth, a technique developed by his old teammate, Tsunade. It required a massive amount of chakra to be transferred from one person to another. How the hell had it been performed here though? Putting that question aside, he answered Shin. "Trust me, the less you know about this situation the better."


	15. Storm Damage

Authors note: so sorry for the long delay and sorry for the next longer delay. The good news is I'm going to finish a Rainy Night and the bad news is this will be put on hold until that's done. It's a health thing. You see this story requires a lot of work and thought whereas Rainy Night is a lot easier for me. Sorry if I'm disappointing anyone.

* * *

Konohamaru had been hurt when Naruto had walked away from him, but when he had positioned himself in front of the doorway, his feelings had become a lot more complicated. Part of him had felt safe while another part of him just wanted to be held like Inari was being held. It had been confusing, and when Jiraiya had burst in carrying two people, he had probably been the most relieved.

The remainder of that night had been confusing at best. Inari's grandfather had been upset that Jiraiya had brought that one-man back and they had one of those arguments that didn't really involve shouting, and that made it all the harder to listen too. Tsunami had ended the argument by saying they should trust Jiraiya or at least that's how Konohamaru had thought it ended. He really couldn't follow the argument, as most of it had been conducted in low tones. Besides, like Naruto and Inari, he had been more curious about the kid Jiraiya had brought along with the man.

He and Inari had been told to go to bed sometime around three or four in the morning. He slept in Inari's room, and even though the two of them had stayed up talking for a while, Naruto never came up to join them. It was weird to wake up without Naruto nearby. It hadn't happened in months. Konohamaru climbed out of the sleeping bag and glanced over to see Inari was still sleeping in his bed.

Slipping out of the bedroom, he made his way downstairs, the only sound in the house being his bare feet hitting the wood. He paused at the guest room where he would usually be sleeping and looked inside. The two people Jiraya had brought back last night were still laid out on the floor in makeshift beds. Naruto was sitting with his back against the wall, but he appeared to be sleeping while Jiraya sat near him awake. He was spotted by Jiraiya who raised a finger to his lips and Konohamaru nodded before quietly retreating.

Continuing on to the kitchen, he found Tsunami sitting at the kitchen table reading something. A creak alerted her to his presence and she looked over at him and smiled. "Konohamaru, can I get you something to eat?"

He hesitated for a second, but nodded. "I am hungry."

"How does hot oatmeal sound?"

"It sounds alright," Konohamaru answered not really knowing what that particular thing was. Taking a seat at the table as Tsunami stood up, he glanced over what she had been reading. It was handwritten, he could tell that, but outside of picking out a few familiar characters he couldn't tell what it was.

"So your sensei asked to bring you up to speed on what is happening," Tsunami said turning slightly to talk to him.

"Uh?" Konohamaru muttered, turning his attention towards her.

She smiled and went back to her work on the stove. "He wants you to take the day off from training. That man he brought in last night was the ninja he came here looking for, while the kid, whose name is Ranmaru was traveling with him much like you and Naruto."

He remembered the kid with lavender hair and asked a question Inari and he had argued about when they were banished upstairs. "Is Ranmaru a boy or a girl?"

"A boy I think." She turned and smiled, "I'm not sure though. Anyway, your sensei is going to watch over them until they recover and Naruto will be sticking with them in case they need anything."

"Oh," Konohamaru said quietly. It wasn't that he hadn't been used to Naruto not being around, but since their escape from the House Naruto had always been there. He supposed he could slip into the room with them, but right now his friend seemed to be sleeping and he didn't want to wake him up.

"Konohamaru!"

Tsunami said his name in such a way that he realize he had been zoning out again. "Yeah?"

"I said once the bridge is built we should have trade flowing again. Hopefully they'll be able to start up the school again and I asked if you ever had been to one?"

Konohamaru wasn't sure how to answer. He got the vague impression that there were things they weren't supposed to talk about, like how he wasn't supposed to kiss Naruto when others were around. Then he realized that wasn't exactly what she was asking. "No, I was going to attend an Academy, but now I'm Jiraya's apprentice." He didn't think any of that was a lie because he had come from a ninja family and Jiraya had told him about the Academy. He was just leaving parts out. Still, it was a bit uncomfortable thinking about that stuff.

"I see. Do you think you would like to go to school with Inari?"

"No," Konohamaru replied without thinking and quickly added, "I don't think I would like that." He shifted in the chair, suddenly uncomfortable. His eyes landed back on the papers she had been reading and asked, "What are you reading?"

Tsunami quickly darted over and turned the pages over so they were all face down. "It's the beginning of Jiraya's latest book. He asked me to look at it."

"He writes books?"

"You didn't know?" She said sounding flustered.

He thought back, "Yeah, I guess I've seen him writing stuff down sometimes."

Tsunami was silent when she went back to the stove, which he was grateful for. A moment later she placed a bowl in front of him and he thought it looked like it had already been chewed. He kept that thought to himself, though, the last time he had complained about the food it had been taken away from him for a day. Inari came downstairs a moment later and he was brought up to speed on what was going on. After breakfast, the two of them went outside to play.

They found the site of the previous night's battle in the woods and explored it in amazement. Trees were uprooted and they played out different scenarios how it happened with none of them close to the truth. When they became bored with that, Inari took Konohamaru to the water and taught him how to skip stones.

Drifting back in for lunch, they came to a sudden stop as they stepped into the kitchen and heard an unfamiliar voice. Glancing at each other, Inari smiled and shrugged before following the voice into the hallway. Konohamaru followed a bit reluctantly. The voice was coming from the guest room, which meant their guests must be up. The door was open and Konohamaru poked his head around the corner as Inari stepped into the doorway. The man and child were both awake and sitting up. The man was saying something to Jiraya, who had Naruto sitting next to him. Tsunami was there too, having brought tea for everyone.

"There you two are," Jiraya called out and waved them over. "Come on over, both of you need to hear this as well."

They both dutifully did as they were asked, Inari going to his mother's side while Konohamaru circled around the group before sitting at Naruto's side. He nudged the older boy, expecting him to throw an arm around him, but he didn't seem to get the hint. Konohamaru nudged him again, but he guessed Naruto was too distracted. Then he noticed Ranmaru was staring at him, which he found unnerving. He scooted back so Naruto was between him and the presumed boy.

* * *

Jiraya was not exactly sure what to expect from Raiga and Ranmaru, but they seemed to have a weird combination of father son bond that sometimes seemed more brotherly. They had started to wake up and he had sent Naruto to get something for them to drink. He came back with Tsunami, who was carrying a tray with a teapot and cups. Both of the guests accepted the offered tea.

The conversation that followed was surprisingly civil and his respect for Tsunami had gone up several notches. She even had the courage to bluntly ask how the two of them had come to be together. What followed was a sad story that was probably more common in the Land of Water than he ever cared to think about. Ranmaru told his part of the story in such a detached fashion that it would have been easier to listen to if he had been bawling his eyes out.

Tsunami seem to be holding back tears when the boy explained how the village had turned its collective back on him and even Raiga seemed tense with anger. When Jiraya looked over at Naruto, though, he didn't seem to be paying attention and seemed to just be staring off into the distance. There was something not right with him, but instead of prying he turned to what they were going to do next.

It's a rare plan that survives initial contact with the enemy. Jiraya didn't remember where he had heard that, but it had been thoroughly pounded into his skull. Of course, in this particular case, his enemy was time. He hadn't anticipated that if he had successfully recruited Raiga that he would have been injured. He had hoped the boys and himself could have slipped away, preferably moments after Raiga had joined them.

That had proven to be an impossibility. Not simply because Raiga had been injured, but despite his wishes Jiraya had been drawn into Wave and its problems. He had heard enough about Gato and how he terrorized this country. His successor had been a bit more subtle, but not different.

Watching those men work on the bridge day after day knowing the threats they would be receiving was inspiring. Courage came in many forms and he had been moved by their small, but consistent act of bravery. It was humbling and at some point he had started to want to see the bridge completed too. Those feelings were unprofessional, but now that the deed was done, he could admit it was another reason why he had gone after Kanaye last night.

Even after hearing that, though, Tazuna had not exactly been happy when he had brought Raiga back to his home. Jiraya could understand where he was coming from, but like most civilians, Tazuna did not understand that missions weren't personal or at least they weren't supposed to be. With his employer dead, Raiga had no reason to carry out the mission he been hired to do. That was the theory at least.

He promised to stick with the former hired assassin until the bridge was completed. Since the bridge would be hopefully completed today, that wouldn't be a hard promised to keep. After Tazuna had reluctantly agreed to the situation, Tsunami had made an unexpected offer. She had offered her home to them as long as they liked.

His initial reaction was to decline her kind offer, and when he first arrived he would've done so without hesitation. He was, after all, a Missing-Nin and he didn't want to think what would happen to the boys if they got caught. However, there was one factor that weighed in favor of staying. That was Inari. The three boys had struck up a friendship and Inari seem to be having an effect on the other two. Naruto had not complained last night when the two younger boys had been sent to bed. Jiraya could remember when the blonde wouldn't let his younger friend out of his sight with others around.

It was a terrible idea to make tactical decisions on emotional grounds, but that had never stopped him before. So he accepted her offer and had started to improvise. The problem was there was no covering up last night's events and he hadn't exactly concealed his appearance. Anyone shown his picture in the Bingo book would be able to recognize he had been the man guarding Tazuna. So he had to get inventive and misdirect people. Outside of hidden villages, ninja's abilities weren't exactly well known. He decided to use that.

This morning, when Tazuna had left for hopefully his final day of construction an earth clone had accompanied him. When the topic of Kanaye's death came up, and inevitably it would come up, his clone would take credit for it and then transform into a scruffy teenager with a forehead protector from Ame.

If Konoha intelligence ever started poking around they would conclude that some low-level Ame ninja had taken the form of one of their Missing-Nin for intimidation purposes. It would be unlikely that they would, but to be safe he and the boys should disappear for a little. That reminded him of another meeting he had to handle. He was pulled out of his thoughts when his eye registered Inari and Konohamaru in the doorway. He gestured for both of them to come in and said, "Come on over, both of you need to hear this as well."

The two boys came into the room, Inari going to his mother's side and Konohamaru going to Naruto's. Jiraya noticed that Konohamaru practically crept along the wall trying to stay as far away as possible from the unfamiliar people. Well, this time he couldn't blame him for his abundant caution. "Well, the situation has changed a little," Jiraya began. "Originally, my intention was to be back to our traveling ways. However, Tsunami has been so kind to offer us a room as long as we would like."

He spared a glance over Naruto's head to judge Konohamaru's reaction and the forced smile was not exactly what he had been hoping for. He wondered if Konohamaru had ever thought about leaving before now.

"So, Raiga I'm going to give you enough Ryo to rent a small apartment. When the bridge is completed they'll be a lot more trade and I suspect they'll be a lot of new faces around, two more won't be noticed. Just don't hang around your room all day."

"I have done covert operations before," Raiga muttered.

"Sorry," Jiraya apologized before continuing "Tsunami, I appreciate your offer and we will be taking you up on it, but I have something I have to take care of. It shouldn't take more than two weeks and I'll take the boys with me so they can keep up their training." This was mostly true; he was just keeping some details to himself.

"I wouldn't mind if Naruto and Konohamaru stay here with me," Tsunami offered.

He smiled "Thank you, but this is for the best." Naruto chose that moment to yawn and he seized the moment to end the conversation. "Why don't you go get some real sleep in Inari's room, Naruto? You only grabbed about a half hour last night."

His blue eyes stared at him for a second, blinking slowly. The boy then glanced over at Konohamaru before turning back and saying, "Yeah."

As the blonde left the room, Jiraya had an inkling that not all may be right between Naruto and Konohamaru. He shrugged it off. Naruto was just tired.

* * *

Konohamaru spent the next several hours trying to pretend he wasn't waiting for Naruto to come out and join them. Naruto had been tired, he could understand that, but he missed him. It felt like something important was missing.

Inari wanted to talk to the new kid, but he had to persuade him not too. The way the kid had been staring at him earlier was creepy, and just because Inari had proven to be a friend didn't mean Konohamaru wanted to try to make another. So, instead they played outside and he kept an eye out for Naruto, who never showed up.

Tsunami called them in for dinner and to his surprise Naruto was sitting at the table. Shaking off his surprise, he assumed that Naruto must've been woken for dinner. He did kind of look like he had just been woken up and was still half asleep. Come to think of it, he could not really remember seeing Naruto like this before. Usually a few hours of sleep and he would be his normal self. As he took a seat next to him he kind of felt guilty about wishing that Naruto had come out and played with them earlier.

Just as they were about to start to eat Tazuna came into the kitchen with a shout of "I'm home."

"Dad you're late," Tsunami accused, standing up from the table.

He laughed and Konohamaru could tell he was, if not drunk, definitely tipsy. Unconsciously, he slumped back in his chair, not liking when people were like this.

"Sorry dear, but it couldn't be helped. You see we completed the bridge so obviously we all had to have a drink. Then Jiraya's clone pulled that little story of his and then left. So obviously since I was the only one who knew him I had to tell the story how we met which required the purchase of more drinks. Well, the news spread and damn if the governor didn't show up. We were planning on having a small celebration tomorrow to celebrate the opening of the bridge, but he declared there would be a festival."

"A festival?" Inari repeated excitedly. "A real festival?"

Tazuna smiled, "Well as much as can be done on such short notice."

"Mom can I go?" Inari asked, bouncing up and down in his chair.

Tsunami seemed to think for a minute and then sighed as if it was a major decision. "I guess."

Inari immediately launched into a list of things he wanted to do and things he hoped he could do. Between Tazuna being drunk, or at least tipsy, and Inari's excited ramblings, Konohamaru started to feel uncomfortable. He quietly slipped away from the table without being noticed and went upstairs.

Slipping into Inari's room, he sat on his sleeping bag and hugged his knees to his chest until the butterflies in his stomach settled down. He wanted Naruto to be here. He wanted to feel his arms around him. It was weird, but the faint smell of alcohol and the noise had unnerved him.

After about ten minutes he was feeling more like himself, but he didn't want to go back downstairs. Instead he played with some of Inari's toys. It was another twenty minutes before Jiraya came upstairs to check on him.

"Konohamaru, is everything okay?"

He hadn't heard the older man's approach and his voice startled as he turned around to see his head poking around the door. "Yeah, why?"

Jiraya let the door open the rest of the way but didn't step in. "Well, it's polite to tell someone when you're leaving the table. For a while we thought you were coming back and then we were starting to wonder if you might be feeling sick or something."

"I'm fine."

Jiraya nodded. "Well, Naruto and Inari are playing a card game with Ranmaru. Why don't you go join them?"

"All right," he said getting up and walking past the man without a glance. Why hadn't Naruto been the one to come up and check on him? Jiraya probably wouldn't let him, Konohamaru decided.

He ended up standing nervously just outside of the guest room, watching the three of them play a card game until Inari noticed him and gestured for him to join them. He was nervous again, but after he was dealt into the hand of Go Fish he quickly discovered that Ranmaru wasn't much of a talker. The boy spent most of the time examining his own cards. It wasn't until the first game ended and he seemed surprised that Konohamaru realized he may not have seen playing cards before.

Inari continued to talk about tomorrow and after a while he just tried to tune him out. A couple of times he tried to talk to Naruto, but he seemed withdrawn too. The game just became something to do, and except for when someone would call out a card they could hear the adults talking in the kitchen.

After a while, they stopped playing cards and Inari brought out a board game. It was a lot more fun than the cards. Konohamaru was close to winning when Naruto said he was calling it a night. Before he left the room Konohamaru added he was going to bed, leaving the other two boys to finish the game. Tonight, Naruto was sleeping in Inari's room and with everyone busy he was hoping they could mess around a little.

Smiling to himself he gave Naruto a playful push in the upstairs hallway and received a glare. "Sorry."

"I'm tired," the blonde said looking away from him.

"Come on you took a nap."

"Not really," the boy said looking back at him. "I was too tired to sleep. So unless you really want to go to sleep maybe you should go back downstairs and finish the game."

Konohamaru studied his friend's face which was so familiar, but right now seemed alien. After second he ventured, "I can give you a blow job. It will help you sleep."

"I just want to go bed."

With that, Naruto turned and went into the bedroom, leaving Konohamaru in the hallway. The younger boy stared at the closed door for a minute before walking to the stairs and sitting down. At that moment he didn't feel like going to bed but he didn't feel like going back downstairs and finishing the game.

Naruto had been acting weird all day and maybe he was just tired, but he had been tired before and he had never been like this. The idea that maybe the other boy didn't want him around occurred to him, but was quickly squashed. He was just tired. Tomorrow everything would be back to normal. Yeah, tomorrow they would go to this festival thing, which if it was half as good as Inari seem to think it would be should be fun. Yeah, tomorrow would be great.


	16. Festival

Authors note: Sorry for taking so long. I've been sick..

* * *

Naruto stared at the re-heated rice. It was mostly gone, but he didn't feel like finishing the little that was left. His thoughts were still stuck in the same pattern they had been in yesterday. There was a part of him that just wanted to forget about it and act like it didn't happen. He was good at forgetting things. Memories were locked up and never thought about again, but he couldn't do that with Konohamaru. His thoughts returned to the pattern of yesterday. He liked Konohamaru, but Konohamaru had kissed Inari, so did that mean he liked Inari?

"It's all right. You don't have to force yourself to eat everything, Naruto." He looked up to see Tsunami frowning at him from the kitchen counter. "Are you feeling okay?"

The blonde forced a smile. "Just tired."

"Well, take it easy today," Jiraiya spoke up from where he was looking over something he had written.

"All right," Naruto said as he heard someone start moving upstairs. He had left the other two boys sleeping and he didn't know when they had called it a night yesterday. Not up to facing either of them right now, he quietly excused himself and went outside. The sea air hit his nose and he felt as if he could almost feel the salt in the air. It was so omnipresent he hadn't really noticed it for a while. He sat down and hung his legs over the side and stared at his reflection in the water.

If Konohamaru liked Inari then Konohamaru wouldn't want to stay with him. He didn't want that so was that why he was avoiding him? There, his thoughts stopped, he didn't have an answer to that one.

A few minutes later, the door opened and both boys emerged. "Naruto," Inari almost shouted. "We're going to watch them set up. You want to come with us?"

He glanced at both boys, they were excited. There was a part of him that wanted to go with them and just have some fun today, but something kept him seated. "I'll catch up later."

Konohamaru looked disappointed, but Inari shrugged and said, "All right, see you there," he pulled the other boy along. Naruto watched them go, wondering why he didn't go with them.

Turning his head back down to stare at his reflection in the water, he swung his legs and listened to the sounds of the village coming to life. He heard the door open and close again, but didn't look up until a shadow fell over him. When he did look up he didn't recognize the man at first. "Jiraiya?"

The man smiled, removing any doubt from the blonde's mind. "You like? Have to get used to using a disguise around here, you know."

"It's not you," Naruto responded, eyeing the man's buzz cut.

"Yeah, well, it's unmemorable and that's the best way to use a transformation." He sat down next to him, the wood creaking under his weight. "Tsunami is worried something's wrong between the three of you and I'll admit I thought you were moping around yesterday. So, is there something you want to talk about?"

He thought about it for a moment. "I don't think you would want to hear about it."

"So it's something between you and Konohamaru?"

Naruto nodded, thinking that would be the end of it.

Jiraiya shifted uncomfortably. "I see. Well I'm not really one to give out relationship advice, but what's the problem?"

The blonde thought about not answering, but settled for a partial truth. "I'm not sure if Konohamaru loves me."

"Really? What makes you say that? Have you stopped doing that stuff or something?"

"Kind of," Naruto answered. He didn't add that it wasn't because Konohamaru didn't want to. "I think he still likes me and that's fine, but I'm worried he feels like he has to do that stuff."

Jiraiya nodded, "I think I see." He sighed, "Naruto, you know most boys your age don't do that sort of thing and most kids Konohamaru's age don't even know about that stuff, right?"

"Yeah." He remembered how Inari acted when he had first seen them doing stuff. Up until that point he had sort of understood, but it really drove home the fact even if it had taken some time to sink in. He wasn't even sure what he felt about their little tent adventure. Maybe, if that had never happened, they would of never kissed and everything would be normal.

"Maybe Konohamaru is starting to realize that, too."Jiraiya continued, throwing an arm around his student. "Even if he wants to stop doing that stuff, I'm sure he still wants to be your friend and I think you do too."

Naruto nodded in agreement.

"You just don't want to put any pressure on him right?"

Again, Naruto nodded.

Jiraiya squeezed his shoulder. "You're a good person. However, avoiding Konohamaru may not be the answer. He may think you're avoiding him because he doesn't want to do that stuff with you anymore. I don't think you want to give him that impression. So, maybe you should just try to be his friend. After all, if you care about him, you wouldn't want to hurt him."

The man's advice was a little off, Naruto thought, but in a way it made sense. If Konohamaru wanted to be with Inari, then really, what could he do? They had been friends a lot longer than they had been having sex together, so maybe things could go back to the way they had been. "Thanks." He got up to leave, but the man stopped him.

"You're going to try to catch up to them right?"

"Yeah, is that okay?" Naruto asked.

The man's hand went into his pocket and pulled out a roll of bills. "I gave Konohamaru a little spending money. Here's yours. Don't spend it all in one place."

Naruto took the money with a smile. It wasn't until the house had faded into the distance that he realized he hadn't thought of any possible strings attached to the money. He couldn't remember the last time that had happened.

* * *

"Are you two fighting or something?" Inari asked as he pulled Konohamaru along by his wrists.

"No," Konohamaru answered.

"How come he's been acting different then? Was it something I did?"

"He's just tired," Konohamaru snapped, yanking his hand free. The tired excuse was starting to sound weak, even to him. He tried to push the thought away and locked it a mental box. Unfortunately, he had never really practiced that skill he had learned at the House.

Inari seemed to sense Konohamaru's mood and changed the subject. "I wonder what it'll be like. I'm sure they'll have games stand set up, but I don't think they will have much in way of food."

"Yeah," Konohamaru muttered.

The streets started out abandoned, but they started to see more and more people as they got closer to the festival. Voices could be heard in the distance and the atmosphere of the village had changed. The people they passed were talking to each other and laughing. Last time Konohamaru had passed this way, he had thought the village had been creepy, but it was different now. He was starting to feel a little excited, and nervous, too. It was like ants were crawling up his spine.

The closer they got to the festival, the more uneasy Konohamaru was feeling. His head snapped around at every unexpected sound. Unconsciously, he reached out for Naruto, but he wasn't at his side. He continued to follow Inari, his eyes plastered on the boys back and tried to shut everything else out. When he stopped suddenly, Konohamaru nearly walked into him.

"Hey, that game is already going. Let's try that game out. I always wanted to hit him in the face."

Konohamaru followed Inari's finger to a stand. Someone was standing by it, and as he watched they threw a ball at an oversized black-and-white photo with a hole cut where its mouth should be. It missed, but that wasn't what Konohamaru's eyes were riveted on. He recognized the man on the photo and a shiver of fear ran up his spine as he broke into a cold sweat.

Not noticing his friend's reaction, Inari continued, "Gato, he was the guy who controlled everything before Kanaye did."

Konohamaru could hardly hear his friend. His vision blurred and he shut his eyes tight, squeezing out tears as his fingers dug into his palms. A small hand landed on his arm and he forced his eyes open. The hand grounded him a little, but it wasn't Naruto's. He wanted Naruto.

"What's wrong?" Inari asked, the boy's head filled his vision.

He opened his mouth to speak but his breath caught and his words came out like a sob. "I… don't… want… to… be… here."

"What's wrong?"

He wanted to say something, but his heart was being clutched by a cold hand and all he could squeak out was, "I'm scared." Konohamaru felt like people were starting to stare at him, he wanted to curl up and disappear.

Then, he felt a tug on his arm and Inari's voice said, "Let's go home."

He latched onto the boy's arm with both hands as they started back.

* * *

Jiraiya had been sipping tea with Tsunami and discussing the latest plot twist in his manuscript when Inari and Konohamaru came back. Konohamaru was clutching onto Inari's arm, his face red and streaked with tears. Inari's expression was scared and the disconnection between the two expressions kept Jiraiya seeded. In combat, he never hesitated, but he had no idea what to do here.

Tsunami, on the other hand, had no such hesitation. She was out of her chair and kneeling in front of the two boys even before it had entered his mind that he should have done that. Belatedly, he scanned both boys for injuries, but saw nothing. He stood up before realizing two adults might be smothering and just tried to listen in.

Konohamaru was still sniffling and Tsunami stroked his hair. "What happened?"

"I don't know," her son said staring at the other. "We were about to play this game and he started crying."

"Did you say anything, Inari?" Tsunami's tone wasn't quite accusatory.

"No. He just said he didn't want to be there. Is he all right? He wouldn't talk to me on the way home."

Jiraiya smiled sadly as he thought he realized what happened. Following Tsunami's example, he knelt in front of the two boys, but address edKonohamaru. "Why don't you go upstairs and rest for a little? I'm sure you'll feel better."

At first, he wasn't sure if the boy had heard him, but then he nodded and let go of Inari's arm, which was red from where he had been gripping it. He didn't say anything and Jiraiya wondered if this would've happened if Naruto had been with him. Once he heard him climbing the stairs, Jiraiya turned back to the remaining boy. "Inari, thank you for helping him get back here."

"Is he going to be okay?" Inari asked, staring at the doorway Konohamaru had gone through.

"I think so. Were there a lot of people around when he said he wanted to go?"

The boy looked up at him, thinking. "I guess. Why?"

Jiraiya considered his words before answering. "Konohamaru doesn't like crowds. I think he just got really scared."

"Like how you used to get scared of the dark. Only a lot worse," Tsunami chimed in.

Inari nodded, following the analogy. Jiraiya glanced at Tsunami and asked, "Could you do me a favor, Inari? Naruto went to catch up with you two, but I guess you missed each other. Could you see if you could find him? I'm sure he would want to make sure Konohamaru was alright. Then, why don't you enjoy the festival?"

Inari nodded but said, "I don't feel like going to the festival, but I'll find Naruto."

"Thank you," Jiraiya said as Inari turned and went back, absentmindedly rubbing his arm were Konohamaru had been gripping. Once the door shut, he sighed and turned to Tsunami. "Sorry about that. We have mostly avoided villages and I didn't think he would react that way."

"Neither did he," Tsunami said sadly.

The two of them fell silent for a moment until Jiraiya broke the silence. "I would understand if you didn't want us to come back. Inari may start asking questions of Naruto and Konohamaru and I'm sure you wouldn't want Inari exposed to that."

Tsunami smile sadly, "I appreciate the concern. However, Inari already knows something about cruelty. I would prefer him not to learn about that stuff, but I would've preferred him not to see his father killed either. The world is not perfect, but perhaps they can help each other."

Jiraiya glanced at the door Inari had left through and said a silent thanks to anyone watching over him that Raiga had decided to try and go for a walk. A few days ago, Tsunami had suggested perhaps the boys needed to talk about what had happened to them. Maybe she was right. Inari's experience may not have been exactly like Naruto or Konohamaru's, but maybe he could sympathize in a way Jiraiya couldn't.

* * *

Naruto had become lost in the crowd. He was still looking for Konohamaru and Inari, but there was a lot to see. He remembered the first market he had been to after he escaped the House. There had certainly been more to see and do there, but few, if any, games like they had here. He hadn't tried any of them out yet, but they did look fun. In fact, everyone seemed to be happy instead of just rushing around like last time.

What did distract him from his search, though, was when he stumbled into the food area. His nose was assaulted by numerous smells and he could only guess at a lot of what he saw. One smell in particular drew his interest and he followed it to the building with a few people sitting at a counter. They each had a bowl in front of them.

He watched them eat for a moment, trying to figure out what exactly it was, and then it clicked. Ramen! He remembered that smell now. The memory of the food filled him with a nice feeling. It was a memory from before the House, and a happy one. A pretty girl and a gruff at times, but mostly kind old man had run the stand. Unfortunately, their name slipped away from him.

"Naruto!"

His name pulled him out of his thoughts and he turned to see Inari pushing his way through the crowd. Frowning, he did a quick scan for Konohamaru, but didn't see his friend. That made him worry and he made his way towards Inari.

"Konohamaru needs you." The boy blurted out before he could open his mouth.

The blonde felt like his stomach hit the ground. "What's wrong with him?"

Inari opened his mouth and made several false starts before just saying, "I don't know. He just started crying and I took him back home. Jiraiya said I should go find you."

Naruto nodded and started past Inari before realizing he had no idea how to get to Inari's home from here. Turning back, he asked, "Where's your house?"

"Follow me," Inari said as he started to push his way back through the crowd.

He quickly became impatient and picked Inari up by his overalls and swung him onto his back. "Just tell me where to go."

The younger boy was surprised at first, but quickly recovered and said, "Okay."

As Naruto started to push through the crowd, he didn't think about how a few months ago he wouldn't have been able to pickup Inari by one arm so casually. When they broke free of the crowds, he also didn't notice how Inari's arms tightened around his neck as he ran a lot faster than any normal preteen should.

When the familiar house came into view, Naruto relaxed a little. This house was a good place. They were safe here, they were happy here. It wasn't a conscious thought, but Naruto felt these things as he slid open the door and let Inari down.

"He's in Inari's room," Jiraiya said as Naruto walked in.

He nodded, but barely spared a glance at his sensei as he crossed the room. Slipping off his footwear, he headed upstairs. The door to Inari's room was partially open and he pushed it open gently, the hinges squeaking a little.

Konohamaru sat on the edge of the bed, his legs tucked into his chest and toes sticking over the edge. He turned his head slightly as the door opened and his bloodshot eyes opened wide. He hopped off the bed as Naruto crossed the room. They collided and the smaller boy buried his head into the blonde and started to cry again.

Naruto hugged him and rubbed his back. He waited until Konohamaru calmed down and gently nudged him back onto the bed. He kept an arm draped around him as they sat side by side. When he seemed calm enough, Naruto asked, "What's wrong?"

Konohamaru leaned into him and said quietly, "It's stupid. I just got scared."

"Why did you get scared?"

The boy pushed away from him suddenly and said angrily. "Because you weren't there. You've been ignoring me and I don't like it. You're always there but weren't there and I don't like that."

Naruto felt cold fingers wrap around his heart. "I'm sorry about that. I've been messed up. I was really worried when Inari told me what happened."

"I saw him," Konohamaru interrupted.

It took Naruto a second to figure out who _him _could be. The list of people they knew was pretty short and most of those were back at the House. Of course, that didn't include clients. "You mean…"

"It was only a photo," Konohamaru clarified as he started to grow into a ball again. "I know it's stupid, but it felt like I was there and I was scared." Naruto put a hand on Konohamaru's back, trying to comfort him.

"Are you talking about Gato?" Inari said speaking up.

Naruto's head swiveled around to look at Inari in the doorway, confused because he hadn't heard the other boy following him up the stairs. "Gato?"

"Yeah," Inari said coming into the room. "He was a gangster, everyone hated him. That's why I wanted to hit him in the face with a ball, but you don't have to be scared of him though, Konohamaru." The boy smiled and said conspiratorially, "Someone killed him months ago. They say it was one of his rivals." His smile faltered, "How do you know him?"

Naruto glanced at Konohamaru, who nodded to confirm what Inari had said. "We didn't know his name, but Konohamaru thinks you're right. We're not supposed to talk about it though."

"Why not," Inari asked. "I thought we were friends?"

"You are," Konohamaru blurted out. "You're the only friend I've had besides Naruto, but Jiraiya told us we weren't supposed to talk about it."

The boy crossed his arms, clearly not liking the answer, and he could feel Konohamaru tent with worry. Naruto could feel the mood turning in the room, and at that moment he realized something. Konohamaru and Inari were friends. The kissing had been nothing more than something among friends. That realization made him feel like an idiot, but at the same time he could see they were about to fight.

Inari had told them everything about himself, including about his father Kaiza, but they weren't doing the same. They weren't being fair. That's how Inari would see it at least. Not that Inari was being fair either. Jiraiya was an adult, and you were supposed to do what they told you to do. They had learned that lesson even before arriving at the House. Konohamaru wouldn't disobey what Jiraiya had told him to do, but Naruto could. He could do it for the same reason he could run away from the House, Konohamaru needed him too.

Naruto got up and closed the door before saying, "I'll tell you, Inari."

"We're not supposed to," Konohamaru whimpered.

"I'm breaking the rule, not you." Naruto said before turning to the other boy, "Right Inari?"

Inari bit his lip, suddenly nervous, "I don't want to get you in trouble."

There was a part of Naruto that wanted to take the offered out, but, "I want to tell you."


	17. On A Boat With Nowhere To Go

The ship creaked under Jiraiya's weight as he walked along the deck and tried not to think about the other sounds he was pretty sure a ship shouldn't be making. Luck was definitely not on their side today. Getting Naruto and Konohamaru out of Inari's house was easy enough. They had avoided the long goodbyes by the simple fact that they were coming back. Still, he had not expected the three to hug each other goodbye. They were apparently closer than he or Tsunami had thought.

Whatever problems they had been experiencing seemed to have been resolved when the three had cloistered themselves in Inari's room yesterday. He had gone upstairs to check on them once, but when he heard them talking he had retreated, wanting to give them their privacy. When they had come down, well, they had not been all smiles, but they seemed more relaxed. They even seemed to be nicer to Ranmaru when he came back. Well, Konohamaru still seemed determined to keep his distance, but he and Inari had started a lot worse.

Things had returned back to normal, or at least normal given their histories. He wondered if anyone really mistook Konohamaru and Naruto for brothers. They didn't look like siblings, but Naruto could play the big brother role very well. At least that's how he thought others would see it. He wasn't sure if he was staring at friends or lovers at this point. Konohamaru was leaning over the ship's railing while Naruto's hand was on his back, rubbing in small circles.

"Here you go. This should make you feel better, Konohamaru." The boy turned at the sound of his name, his face pale. Stepping down from the railing, Konohamaru took the offered bottle of water and waited as two pills were shaken from the bottle. "They're supposed to last twenty-four hours, but I'm not sure how long it will be until you start feeling their affect. So, you should probably lay down for a while."

Konohamaru downed the pills and give him a weak smile as Naruto put an arm around the boy's shoulders. "We'll go do that."

Jiraiya smiled. So it was 'we' now. He hesitated before bursting their bubble. "Actually Naruto, could I talk to you for a few minutes? It won't take long."

Naruto looked at him curiously. "All right." He looked down at Konohamaru, "I'll be right there."

The boy, still looking pale, nodded slightly and took the three steps to the door. Naruto watched after him for a moment before Jiraiya coughed to draw his attention. "So, things seem to be better between you two." He leaned against the railing and stared out at the storm in the distance, figuring this conversation would be easier if they didn't have to constantly look at each other.

"Yeah," Naruto said, resting his chin on the railing.

Jiraiya sighed and reflected, his life had been so much easier before Naruto had entered it. He decided to dive right in. "Do you know what upset Konohamaru yesterday?"

Naruto was quiet for a moment, watching the distant lightning hit the water. "He saw a client."

Jiraiya's head snapped around. "What! Why didn't you tell me? This could blow our whole cover."

"It was just a photo." Naruto said, staring at him as if he had grown a second head.

The Sannin relaxed and said exasperated "Naruto, lead with that information next time."

The blonde nodded before turning back to the storm. He was quiet for a moment. "Can I ask you something?"

"Always." Naruto took a long time to answer, but something told Jiraiya to wait and not prompt him, he realized this was exactly how he had recruited some of his sources in the past.

"I'm different now." It was a statement but his tone had a question. "I'm stronger and faster. I didn't really think about it, but yesterday, when Inari told me about Konohamaru, I picked him up with one arm. I mean, I pick up Konohamaru and Inari weighs more than he does, but I did it with one arm."

"Well, you have been training. It only makes sense that you can do things you couldn't before."

"Yeah," Naruto said, looking down at his hands. "Still, the first time when Konohamaru was in trouble I was really angry. I broke through wooden bars, ran upstairs, broke down a door and I think I killed someone."

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow at that. "Why do you say that?"

Naruto shook his head to clear it. "Konohamaru's first client, we didn't know his name, but yesterday Inari recognized him as this guy named Gato. He was a gangster, and I'm not sure, but I think he died around the same time we escaped."

Gato, Jiraiya thought. He was familiar with the name, but even knowing what he knew about him, the fact that he had gone to such a place surprised him. Then again the place did target the wealthy. There was a niggling of an idea in the back of his mind, but he put it aside for now as he looked down at Naruto. The boy was asking if he had possibly killed someone and he wasn't sure how to answer. There wasn't any way to confirm that right now and he supposed Naruto deserved the truth. "It's possible."

"Good," Naruto said, nodding to himself.

Jiraiya was about to say that taking a life shouldn't be something treated lightly, but he realized the foolishness of that statement before he said it. Presumably, Inari had shared his story and from Naruto's point of view the man was going to hurt Konohamaru. The man had not deserved mercy. "Is that what you wanted to ask?"

The blonde shook his head no. "I wanted to ask why I was that strong then, but right now I don't think I am that strong. Why?"

Jiraiya wanted to let out another sigh. This question he could answer. After all, he had been able to track Naruto because of the demonic chakra he had been using at the time. Telling him, though, he had the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox sealed within him seemed too cruel at the moment. "Sometimes, when someone we care about deeply is in trouble, we can find the strength to do things we didn't know we could." There was more than enough truth in that statement to make him feel like he wasn't lying.

"I got it." Naruto said with a smile.

Jiraiya gave him a pat on the back before realizing something. "What do you mean Konohamaru's first client? I thought..." he trailed off, unsure how to proceed.

"Konohamaru didn't see clients, or at least not the way I did." Naruto said, filling in the silence. "He waited on tables and he did photo shoots, but he was off limits to the clients."

The Sannin frowned. He had been under the impression no one was off-limits. Maybe it was it a remnant of Konohamaru status, but Hanabi had served and she was a year younger than him. "Did they ever say why he was off-limits?"

"I paid for it," Naruto said with a shrug.

He was starting to get that sick feeling in his stomach again, even as he pressed on. "How?"

Naruto turned around and leaned against the railing to look up at him. "We got points for working. The more cash we had a client spend, the more points we got. You could trade in your points for stuff like candy bars or time off. So when Konohamaru was supposed to serve a client I would give him my points and he would buy free time. It took a lot of work, but I was able to do it every week for him." The boy's expression darkened. "Gato shouldn't have been able to rent Konohamaru."

Jiraiya stared at Naruto in disbelief. It took a lot to surprise him, but Naruto's self-sacrifice on Konohamaru's behalf left him speechless. Being brave in battle was really a simple thing. Adrenaline was rushing through your body and you never had time to reflect. This boy in front of him, though, had made a consistent effort to protect his friend for, well, years. That was a whole different type of bravery. "Naruto, I don't think I've ever been more impressed by one of my students."

The blonde blushed and looked down. "You shouldn't be."

"What? Why?" He couldn't keep the astonishment out of his voice.

The boy was silent for a second then he blurted out, "I broke one of your rules yesterday. I told Inari about the House. I know I wasn't supposed to, but I… I..."

Jiraiya placed a hand on his shoulder and then knelt down to be at Naruto's eye level, turning the boy towards him. "Naruto, it's okay." The boy's eyes met his, he looked on the verge of crying which only made Jiraiya want to reassure him. "Listen I was wrong. I was trying to ignore what happened there, pretend it didn't happen because I don't like thinking about it. I didn't think that maybe talking about it might be good for you. Inari's mom explained it to me. She knows too and I'm sorry for sharing that information without asking you. She's okay with it. She's okay if you tell Inari. He's had it hard too, just not in the same way you have.

"Kaiza," was Naruto's one-word reply.

"Yeah," Jiraiya confirmed. "So don't feel bad. I was the one who made the mistake. If you need to talk about it, talk about it. To me or to Inari or anyone you trust." Naruto nodded as a slow smile spread across his face. Jiraiya thought it looked right on him.

"Thanks."

There was a part of Jiraiya that wanted to hug Naruto right then, but he didn't, still worried the boy might misinterpret it. So, instead he said, "Remember, any time."

They were quiet for a minute until Naruto hedged, "I want to go check on Konohamaru."

Jiraiya smiled, "I'll pick you guys up for dinner."

He watched Naruto walk away and was hit with one more realization. He had always dismissed Naruto's feelings for Konohamaru before. He didn't think they were mature enough to really understand love. Hell, he was nearly fifty and didn't understand it. Still, he was pretty sure Naruto was closer to understanding it than he was.

* * *

Naruto closed the cabin door behind him and locked it before leaning against it. He looked over at Konohamaru who was sitting on the bed, his knees up to his chest and hugging a pillow. Still feeling oddly happy after having that conversation with Jiraiya, he smiled. For a moment, the only sound in the room was the dull throbbing from the engines, and that was more felt than heard. "Are you still feeling sick?"

"No, the pills helped," Konohamaru muttered, partially hiding his face with the pillow.

"That's good," Naruto responded as he dug his toe into the carpet. After a second, he looked up and asked, "You feeling up to doing anything?"

The boy lifted his head from the pillow, smiling. "I thought you'd never ask."

He sat next to Konohamaru on the bed and kissed his forehead before grabbing the pillow he was holding, tossing it to the side. The boy started to giggle.

"What?" Naruto asked, smiling at the sound that was so familiar, it had been absent in the last few days.

"It's nice," Konohamaru said.

"Oh yeah? What about this?" Before the other boy realized what was happening, Naruto had pushed him onto his back and slipped his hands under the boy's shirt. He knew where the younger boy was ticklish, and in a matter of seconds, Konohamaru was rolling back and forth as he attacked one of his sides and then the other.

"Stop."

"Stop what?" Naruto asked, not even trying to sound innocent.

"Stop tickling me!" Konohamaru complained between his laughter.

"You'll have to kiss me."

"Fine! Just stop."

He did, and at the same time, he leaned down for his kiss. Naruto had intended it to be a quick peck, but before he could pull away, Konohamaru had grabbed his shirt. It wasn't a tight hold, but it was enough of a signal for him. Their lips meshed together, and as they broke apart for air their breath caressed the other.

Konohamaru was breathing heavily and had this stupid little grain plastered across his face. Of course, he probably didn't look any better, judging by how his cheeks were starting to hurt. He felt another tug on his shirt, but this time it was upwards. Taking the hint, he helped Konohamaru pull off his shirt as he sat back on his heels, straddling his partner.

Konohamaru tossed his shirt off to the side. Propping himself up on his elbows, he started to pull off his own shirt, but Naruto stopped him by grabbing his forearm. For a second, the boy looked up at him confused, but he smiled reassuringly and said, "Let me."

Again, Naruto's hand slipped under his partner's shirt, his finger sliding up his sides. Pulling his shirt over his head, he let it drop to the floor before unbuttoning and then unzipping his shorts. Apparently, the slow undressing was exciting Konohamaru as much as it was him. He could see his erection being held back by his boxers.

"Hurry up," Konohamaru pleaded.

"Patience," Naruto said, hopping off the bed and pulling Konohamaru's shorts and boxers down to free his erection, which slapped against his belly with an audible sound. Wrapping his hand around it, he played with the head by rubbing it with his thumb.

His actions produced a small whimper before his hand was swatted away by Konohamaru, who twisted away from him. "You're wearing too much."

Glancing down at himself, he saw he was still wearing shorts and his sandals which he had forgotten to take off when he stepped into the room. He was about to kick them off when Konohamaru rolled out of bed and pushed him down. Naruto glanced up at him only to see him smiling. "Let me."

The younger boy dropped to the floor and tugged off one of his sandal, tossing it in the general direction of the door. It was quickly followed by its companion. When Konohamaru looked up at him from the carpeted floor, he smiled before standing and shoving Naruto back onto the bed. The naked boy hopped on top of him and kissed him before sliding back down to unbutton his shorts. Naruto had to lift his hips to help Konohamaru pull his shorts and boxers off together.

Putting his hands behind his head, he looked up at the ceiling, and for a brief second just enjoyed the sensation of being naked. That feeling didn't last long though as Konohamaru hopped back onto him. Their chests were touching and he was tempted to wrap his arms around him.

In fact, he would've done just that if Konohamaru hadn't rested his arms on his own when he went in to kiss him again. This time their tongues intertwined. and for a moment, they were locked together like that before Konohamaru broke it. He planted a kiss on his chin, his throat and as he moved down his chest Naruto closed his eyes, letting out a small moan knowing his final destination.

He could feel Konohamaru's stomach and chest brushing up against his member as he left butterfly kisses all the way down his chest. When he reached his belly button, his member was pushing right up against Konohamaru's chin, Naruto was sure the next thing he would feel would be his member being engulfed. So, when his four-inch member was skipped and his testicles were kissed instead he nearly jumped.

Looking down the length of his body, he could see his partner grinning back at him. He had grinned back as the boy leaned forward and began to lick up his shaft. Konohamaru's right cheek rested on his stomach as he twisted around so his tongue was able to wrap halfway around the width of his member until he reached the tip, unhesitatingly slipping it into his mouth.

Even though he knew it was coming, he still bucked his hips upwards ever so slightly and then it happened. The last time he had an orgasm had been a few days before the incident in the tent and now there was no holding back. His climax caused his whole body to shutter, but was aware enough to notice that something was different this time. It felt like something had come out of him.

Konohamaru almost immediately pulled off of his wilting member and Naruto had to push through his orgasmic haze to sit up and ask, "You okay?"

The younger boy was sitting on his heels and slowly turned to look at him in astonishment. "You came."

Naruto would've blushed if he wasn't already flushed. "Sorry, I-" he scratched the back of his head and looked away and stuttered out, "That I was doing that."

"Its fine," Konohamaru smiled a little. "I just wasn't expecting it."

Naruto frowned, suddenly feeling a little uneasy. "You um… don't have to swallow, you know."

The smaller boy looked away from him, but his neck was turning red which meant he was blushing. "Kind of like it. It's like a part of you is in me. Besides, I'm sure you've swallowed a lot."

"I didn't really have a choice. Some of the clients liked it but I spit it out when I could. You can do that." Naruto said.

"You're not a client," Konohamaru said softly.

"No, I'm not." Naruto said it more to himself than Konohamaru, but he felt reassured for some reason and jumped to his feet.

Naruto picked Konohamaru up off the floor by putting one arm under his knees and using the other to support his back and dropped him on the bed. The boy giggled as he bounced on the bed before Naruto joined him, pinning his legs between his thighs. He grinned at Konohamaru before copying the boy's actions from earlier.

For the first time in a long time he didn't feel guilty about doing stuff with Konohamaru. They were doing this because they wanted to and it was that simple. And Naruto knew how to make it last a lot longer than his partner did.

Sticking his tongue out, he licked Konohamaru from the base of the shaft to his tip. Then he did it again and again, changing his angle of attack ever so slightly each time. He didn't ignore any part, and after a few minutes, the boy started to squirm. Naruto had to squeeze his legs together to hold the other boy still as he started to whimper for release. He kept going at it, though, swirling his tongue around on the organ until, with a yelp, it started to twitch as his partner had a dry orgasm.

Naruto rolled off of Konohamaru and rested next to him on the bed. Even as he stared at the ceiling, he could feel the other boy's heat next to him.

"I love you."

Naruto tilted his head towards the other boy, only to see him grinning at him. "I love you too."

The boy scooted towards him and rested his head on the larger chest. Naruto kissed the top of his head and couldn't think of a better place to be at that moment.


	18. Practical Men

Jiraiya had always wondered if the Land of Water was paranoid about its security because it was an island or if it was because of something in the people themselves. There was only one harbor in the entire country that allowed passenger ships, and even there, they weren't exactly welcoming. They had been docked for more than two hours now and they were still on the damn boat.

The passengers were taken off one at a time or in groups depending on how they were traveling. He had heard about this process, but didn't think how frustrating it would be. He was also starting to worry about Naruto and Konohamaru. On the voyage, he had noticed that they were the only kids on board. At first, that had not worried him, but now he was starting to wonder, they stood out and that was not good.

He had briefed the boys, of course, and kept their cover story simple. They had grown up in the Land of Fire and were tagging along on a business trip with their uncle. Yes, they were brothers but not really brothers because Shin, which was the name Konohamaru would go by, had been taken in several years ago when his parents died. Jiraiya just hoped they didn't slip up.

He wasn't afraid that his head would be taken for the bounty on it. Kiri was not too big on that, if anything they would take it to try to obtain information, but again, he doubted that. He was largely banking on two things, Kiri's general desire to stay out of the affairs of the continent, as they like to refer to the mainland, and the fact that Danzo had not been winning friends anywhere. Taking the boys along with him was a risk, but less so than if he had let them stay behind.

When their time finally came, it went a lot smoother than he had hoped. They were gently separated from each other with Naruto and Konohamaru being interrogated by a ninja only a little older than them. He was led into another room where two ninjas questioned him. They checked to see if he was using a transformation jutsu and then asked him rapid questions.

His story was more complicated but simple to stick to. Once he mentioned he was actually looking to hire some Kiri their demeanor changed, especially once they saw his account book. The account was legitimate in that there was actually Ryo in it, but the name was one of his aliases. His meeting soon ended, all three interrogators conferred for a few minutes and they were then released.

Kirigakure was only a days travel from the harbor and the road was mostly a lonely one. He kept the pace quick and gave the boys a brief history lesson as they traveled. He also started testing their observation skills again, and was pleased to discover they hadn't atrophied. They crashed at an Inn that only had one room available and food that left much to be desired. Fortunately, the Sake was plentiful and it did wash away the taste. The boys apparently thought he'd be longer at the bar than he was because he caught them about to have an intimate moment. Both boys had leveled angry stares at him.

He had been embarrassed, but when he reflected on it later, it had kind of pleased him. The Naruto he had first met those months ago would have never leveled that look at him. The blonde trusted him enough to do so. That knowledge was worth the embarrassment.

When they arrived at their destination in late afternoon, he was curious about how they would react. Other than Konohamaru grabbing Naruto's hand, they didn't. Either they didn't have any bad memories to be triggered of Konoha or Kiri was too different to be compared to it. Then again, besides the numerous numbers of ninja walking around, it was very different.

In Konoha, clients had to go to the center of the village to register for a mission, but here he was directed to a building right next to the village's entrance. He also learned this is where they were staying while any request was processed. Apparently, they didn't encourage people to wander around and take in the sights.

He was given a timeslot for a meeting and shown to a traditional room with not much of a view. Sitting the boys down, he gave them an update on what was going to happen, or at least as best as he could tell. He even mentioned the possibility that the room was being monitored and was secretly hoping for it so they could get things moving. Twenty minutes later, and ten before his scheduled appointment, a knock came at his door.

Jiraiya stood and casually slipped a kunai onto his finger. Instead of having the ringed weapon's spike stick outwards, like it was supposed to be, he had the spike facing the palm of his hand. In a worst case scenario he would summon a toad to get all three of them out of here. When he opened the door he was a little disappointed. Apparently, the Mist village thought he was only worth a single ANBU squad.

"Jiraiya you and your companions are to come with us," a woman said from behind his mask.

"Of course," he turned slightly but not enough to take his eyes off of her or the squad behind her and said, "Boys it's time to go."

They were frightened and he couldn't blame them for that. Konohamaru had latched onto Naruto's arm after grabbing his backpack and seemed to be trying to hide behind the other boy. He smiled at them, half in amusement and half in an attempt to reassure them.

Jiraiya's ego was boosted when they left the building and he spotted several other masked figures lingering around. He didn't feel any danger, though, as they were rushed through the streets to a much larger building. In fact, he was suspecting that the extra guards were merely there to distract them from noticing other features of the village.

Of course, being who he was, he made an extra effort to notice things. The streets had been closed off, but the people themselves had been pushed back and he saw a lot of ninjas of all ages milling with the civilian gawkers. He carefully filed that fact away.

Then they were in a building being led up a twisting flight of stairs. With a mild sense of satisfaction, he noticed the boys were having no trouble keeping up with the demanding pace. The guards started to drop off one at a time as they left the staircase and only one guard showed them to a large, enclosed room with the vague instructions to wait here.

Once the door slid shut behind them, Jiraiya spared the boys a reassuring smile. "Relax, everything is going like I thought it would." Neither of the boys seemed reassured and he decided not to tell them any background on the current Mizukage. Instead, he drew their attention to the artwork on the wall paneling. Each wall depicted a different season and were very detailed. Konohamaru delighted in pointing out small features. It was one way to negate the hurry up and wait tactic.

When another door finally slid open to allow two figures to walk in the intimidation factor was much lower than it would have been under other circumstances. Jiraiya simply turned and bowed politely. "Mizukage. Thank you for meeting with me."

"Jiraiya, I presume you have reason to believe I won't take your head."

That comment made Naruto and Konohamaru give him a nervous look, but he couldn't spare them any reassurance right now. "Because we can be mutually beneficial to each other, and you've always been a practical man, Zabuza Momochi."

That might have produced a smile, but with the lower part of his face wrapped it was impossible to tell. Instead, the man addressed his companion. "Haku, entertain our younger guests so the adults can talk."

"Of course," the slightly effeminate boy smiled at Naruto and Konohamaru. "I don't think you've examined our autumn walls yet. Why don't we do that now?"

Jiraiya took in the information that they had been watched the entire time, even as he encouraged the two boys to follow the third. They had either enough trust in him or enough residue of their training to do so even. Konohamaru still latched onto Naruto's arm again. It was a small distance but the message was clear. If he tried anything, at best he could rescue one of them. Well, he didn't have violent intentions anyway.

"Speak your case," Zabuza prompted.

"Very well, I would like an alliance of sorts. That's all." Jiraiya was intentionally being glib. Maybe it wasn't the best move, but he was not a diplomat.

"Kirigakure does not form alliances with those on the continent, particularly with rebels."

His words could've ended the meeting there and then, but he stayed where he was. Jiraiya took that as a good sign, along with the fact that he was referred to as a rebel and not a missing-nin. "Semantics and really, what we desire would be more along the line of a contract. You see, in a brief time the organization I represent will be in charge of Konohagakure. There will be a short time when others may view my village as weak and with old scores to settle may use that opportunity. I believe a temporary alliance between our two villages would solve the situation. A small fee and referencing you some missions that we wouldn't be able to fill at the time should be adequate compensation."

"If we were to agree to this, it would be on the condition that you would seize power successfully?" Zabuza queried.

"Of course, but that's a foregone conclusion." Jiraiya's new failure was a possibility, but there was no point dwelling on it.

The other man was silent for a moment, mulling things over. When he spoke again, it was not what Jiraiya was expecting. "One could argue I owe a debt to Danzo. After all, because of his coup d'état, the previous Mizukage sent some of their more loyal personnel to monitor the situation, I seized that opportunity. It would take a lot to overcome my residual good feelings."

Jiraiya almost laughed out loud. It was hard to reconcile this man was the one who had reportedly slaughtered an entire class to become a ninja. He wondered if the man had changed, or was it the position that had changed him. "It's not like your village isn't hurting for jobs. I saw how many ninja are just loafing around and how excited your guards were at the harbor when they thought I was just bringing one job."

Zabuza laughed but without humor. "True, even the great villages struggle with Konoha these days. Of course, I could just sit back and wait for all three to attack it and then move in to pick up the pieces."

With that understanding, negotiations began. Jiraiya hated every moment of it.

* * *

Naruto had liked the traveling with Jiraiya. It was so different from his former, cloistered life that he really hadn't recognized how much he enjoyed it until it had ended. Then he had become used to living at Inari's home and was beginning to think he preferred it over traveling. Not that traveling was bad. At least that was until those men had shown up and had started rushing them around.

They had been led to this room with no windows, but at least it had nice pictures. When the door had opened, he had felt a sense of fear. The tall man was scary in a way that was new to him. Naruto had learned to read the signs of those who enjoyed hurting others to one degree or another, but this guy was not like that. He had the distinct impression this guy could either kill them or let them live and it didn't really matter to him either way. It had taken him a few seconds to realize he wasn't alone. The young teen boy next to him was the complete opposite and he found some comfort in that, even as Konohamaru squeezed his hand.

He hadn't leaped at the opportunity to leave Jiraiya's side. Still, he didn't have a choice. He had the feeling that something was going on over his head and he hated that feeling.

The teenager that had led them over to the far wall suddenly spoke, "I'm Haku."

"Naruto, Konohamaru" he gestured to himself and then to Konohamaru, who was latched to his right arm.

"Konohamaru," Haku repeated. "That's a very interesting name. Do you know how you got it?"

The teen seemed to be attempting to sound friendly, but Konohamaru was suspicious of that, judging by the way his grip tightened. Naruto answered for him, "It's just a name. Why should it mean anything?"

The teen nodded. "You are right. Some parents do put a lot of thought into naming their children and others pick something that sounds nice. Even if there is meaning, it is often lost or misinterpreted. Like autumn," he gestured towards the panels, "some say it's the most beautiful season and others say it's the saddest. Same name, different thoughts."

"Yeah," Naruto said, even as he thought this guy was weird.

Haku seemed to realize that too as he laughed. "Sorry, I go off on tangents sometimes. So, how long have you two been training to be ninjas?"

Naruto suddenly wished the guy had continued talking about autumn. He had talked about his ninja training before, but that was with Inari and he didn't count because he knew. Then again, apparently Haku did too. Was he a ninja? Not sure what to do, he decided to go with the vague answer. "A few months."

"Really? Both of you? You two must be dedicated." Haku said.

"All right, why do you say that?" This was starting to become one of the weirdest conversations Naruto had ever had.

The teenager shrugged. "It's the little things. You have calluses in the right places, and you in particular, Naruto, carry yourself like you're prepared for a fight. I'm guessing you routinely spar against someone or at least a clone of some sort." Naruto's surprise must have been written across his face because Haku giggled. "Sorry, I'm teasing you."

Naruto smiled and laughed a little before his curiosity got the best of him. "You're right. How did you guess?"

Haku shook his head. "It wasn't a guess. I just know a little about training. You see, at an academy, classes are large and each student can't be given individual attention. However, when you're an apprentice like I was and like you are, well, we get individual attention. Learning to fight against a clone is ideal because there's no subconscious desire that you might hurt one of your classmates or even a desire to do so. It's standard, especially in situations like ours."

"Our situation?" Naruto repeated.

"When I was trained by Zabuza, it wasn't just because he wanted to see me become a strong ninja. He needed me to become his tool. I suspect your situation is similar." He smiled gently and then added, "I would be interested in sparring with you. They say it's the best way to get to know someone. Maybe a two on one match? What do you think of that, little one?"

Konohamaru didn't like the nickname and fired back with why he was wearing a dress. That didn't faze Haku, who explained it was local fashion and perhaps Konohamaru should try one on. That seemed to start a argument, but it was a good-natured one. When the meeting broke up a few minutes later, Naruto wasn't sure what to think of Haku. He seemed nice, but that tool comment had left him uncertain.

The three of them had a quiet meal. Jiraiya was mulling things over and the day seemed to have caught up with Konohamaru, who mostly picked at his food. Their new rooms were in the same building that they had the meeting in and right across from each other. This time, the room had twin beds and an attached bathroom, so he thought it was a big upgrade. Konohamaru wasted no time in grabbing one of the beds and squirming under the covers.

Naruto smiled, thinking it was early, but whatever he wanted. "I'm going to take a shower."

"All right," Konohamaru muttered.

He walked into the bathroom and started a shower before stripping. It took a few minutes for the water to heat up, but it was nice when it finally did. He started to think about Haku, or at least what he said. That stuff about being a tool was disheartening. Tools were used and he didn't like the idea of being used. He had been used and he didn't like it. He scrubbed his skin harder as memories of past events that he thought he had left behind came back to him.

The thing was he had never thought Jiraiya was using him or Konohamaru. He liked him too, and he thought the old man liked them. So, Haku had to be wrong. Jiraiya was training them so they could be strong and never go back there. He remembered talking about this before, sort of, but the memory was vague back from when they were first traveling together. Then, Naruto realized that hadn't been six months ago.

That caught him by surprise. Not six months, and really, barely five. He didn't feel like the same person. He stared down at his hand, really noticing the calluses from handling weapons and wondered how many punches he had thrown in spars against clones. Yeah, he was definitely different. He stood there for several minutes, even as he turned off the shower, just trying to really digest everything.

Shaking his head, he put those thoughts off for tomorrow. Naruto wondered if Haku had been serious about sparring. He wasn't sure what he thought of Konohamaru joining in, but the idea sort of sounded fun, and that was a thought he never had before.

It was only after he dried his hair that he remembered he should try to be quiet since Konohamaru was sleeping only a few feet away. When he stepped out of the bathroom, though, he found the boy not only awake, but sitting on top of the covers and naked.

"I think you woke me up when you turned off the shower," Konohamaru said with a smile. "Now I'm not tired."

The blonde smiled, taking in the view. "I don't know, I just took a shower."

Konohamaru stood, "We can take another one together."

Naruto took a step forward and thought maybe he hadn't changed that much.


	19. We are all Tools

Authors note: Yeah sorry about the long delay life been a little rough on me lately.

* * *

Naruto woke to knocking. Upon opening his eyes, he felt a moment of disorientation before he remembered where he was. Konohamaru was sleeping next to him, sharing the same pillow. He was stirring, too. "I'll get it," Naruto told him.

He had already slipped out of bed and was halfway to the door when Konohamaru chimed in with, "Boxers."

The blonde looked down and noticed the absence of them and laughed before doing a quick search. Last night had been fun, chasing, wrestling and sex. Naruto had never had a night like it. They had just enjoyed each other like they never had before. Maybe it was because they didn't have to worry about someone walking in on them or their time together being cut short. Then again, Konohamaru had seemed a little different, too.

Cracking the door open, he fully expected to see Jiraiya, but Haku was standing there instead. "Um, hey?"

The teen smiled weakly, "Sorry, I thought you two would be up by now. I'll come back later."

He started to turn and Naruto blurted out. "Wait, was there something you wanted?"

"Your Master is having a meeting with our Intelligence Head. It's been decided you should be treated as a guest of the village. I thought perhaps we could spar for a little, and then maybe I could give you a little tour."

"Master," Naruto repeated slowly.

"Jiraiya," Haku repeated cautiously. "You are training to be a ninja right?"

"Yeah," he felt like he had been insulted. "Just give me a minute to get dressed and I will kick your butt." Naruto closed the door and went on a search for the rest of his clothes. Konohamaru had rolled over, trying to go back to sleep and Naruto gave him a little shake. "Come on, time to get up."

"Training?" Konohamaru muttered.

"No. That Haku kid wants to spar with me. Come on, you can watch."

Opening an eye, Konohamaru asked, "Can I spar him?"

Naruto paused, remembering Haku had expressed an interest in sparring both of them the other day. He wasn't going to allow that, though. True, they both sparred Jiraiya or at least one of his clones just about every day, but this was different. "I don't think he'll be up for more once I'm done with him."

Konohamaru grinned at that and slid out of bed. It was only when he turned around that Naruto noticed a small mark on the back of his neck. "Does that hurt?" Naruto asked, suddenly feeling guilty. A hickey, that was embarrassing. At the House they were a common annoyance, but they had never really bothered Naruto.

"Does what hurt?"

"It's nothing," Naruto said leaning down and giving him a kiss.

When they emerged from the room, Haku was leaning against the far wall and gave them a smile. "Well, shall we get going? I know the perfect spot."

"Lead the way," Naruto responded, following after him.

"So what type of justu do you know?" Haku asked as they walked down the hallway.

"Transformation is the only one I've really mastered," he said glancing down at Konohamaru who nodded in agreement.

"Mastered? That's a pretty good first step. I can think of a half-dozen justu you could probably learn in an afternoon."

"Really? Could you show us?" Konohamaru said perking up.

Haku smiled and bowed a little forward so Konohamaru could see him. "I'm sure Jiraiya is planning to, and it would be impolite for me to interfere."

Haku was quiet for a moment as if he was considering something. "I suggest we keep this strictly Taijutsu. No weapons or justu. Is that all right with you two?"

"You're only fighting me," Naruto said quickly before adding, "If you can still stand after I'm done, Konohamaru can finish you off."

Haku gave him a look that he couldn't understand. "You do realize I want to keep this friendly, right?"

"Yeah, friendly." Naruto answered trying not to looking at Konohamaru. The conversation died after that. Haku led them up a flight of stairs and Naruto knew that Konohamaru wasn't happy with him. The stairway opened into a very large room devoid of anything.

"This floor has two purposes," Haku said turning to them. "First, it allows the Mizukage to train without being observed. The second is this floor separates the Mizukage's private residence from the rest of the building. In the past, at least two ninja would be stationed here, but master Zabuza does not have the need for any elaborate security." He smiled and gestured towards the center of the room, "Shall we, Naruto?"

Naruto grinned nervously, but excitedly, and started towards the center of the room and took a glance back only to see Konohamaru against the wall with his arms crossed. He felt a little bad for lying to him, but he didn't want him to get hurt either. Haku seemed nice enough, but just because someone said all the right things didn't mean they were.

Naruto and Haku faced off in the center of the room, standing about ten feet apart. He dropped back into a stance. His right foot was in front, left foot had a ninety degrees angle to his right. He crouched and waited for Haku to do something similar but the teen just stood there.

"Whenever you're ready," Haku said

Naruto scowled. Haku was just standing there, his arms at his side with his weight slightly more on his one foot than the other. He noticed this without really noticing it, but Naruto did know he wasn't being taken seriously. He charged.

Naruto took a little satisfaction in the surprise that registered on Haku's face but this first punch was dodged and his follow-up kick was blocked as well, Haku sprung backwards. "You're faster than I thought you would be."

He didn't know what to say to that, so he just went after him again and nearly had his legs go out from under him which caused him to retreat. Annoyed, but finding this exciting, he went on the attack again. They went back and forth, attacking and blocking but neither leading a significant blow. After ten minutes they were both sweating and Naruto decided to go for something unorthodox. The clones he fought sometimes praised him for his ingenuity and sometimes scolded him for his stupidity, but his invented moves tended to work half the time.

The next time there was some distance between them, he came at Haku. Aiming just to the right of Haku's center of mass, his opponent simply took a half a step back to avoid the blow. Naruto continued, almost as if he was going to do a cartwheel, but when both hands were on the floor he sprung backwards, catching the teen who grunted with the impact. Unfortunately, Naruto hadn't thought this through and they both fell to the ground before rolling away from each other. To his surprise, he saw Haku smiling.

"What was that, a double donkey kick? I've never seen something like that before. You're really full of surprises."

"Yeah, I've heard that before," Naruto answered.

"Very well, time to finish this," Haku said before disappearing.

The next thing Naruto knew, his right arm was twisted around and an arm was wrapped around his throat. He tried to bring his foot down on one Haku's but he was pulled back in, a strangled cry escaped his throat. He tried to use his left arm to loosen the teen's grip around his throat.

He felt breath on his ear and Haku asked calmly, "Is Konohamaru as good as a fuck as he looks? Mind if I have a go?"

Something snapped in Naruto and he ripped the arm free from around his neck. Haku tried to retreat, but Naruto's hand grabbed his sleeve. Pulling the teen towards him, Naruto slammed his fist into the side of the teen's head. Haku flailed backwards, Naruto hit him again and he fell. Before he could do anything, Naruto jumped on top of him and him punched him again in the face. As his fist connected, Haku shattered into millions of pieces with a loud crack.

Shocked, Naruto belatedly realized he was sitting on ice and he looked up confused, only to see Haku kowtowing several feet away. Not expecting this, Naruto stood slowly as the teen spoke.

"Please accept my apologies, Naruto. First for my crude language and second for my deception."

"What's going on?" Naruto demanded.

"My Master, Zabuza, asked me to find out information about you two to confirm Jiraiya's story. While he is a well-known outlaw of the Leaf, our village is well-known for its paranoia. We suspects traps within traps and prefers to stay out of Continental affairs when possible. However, our position has become increasingly difficult to maintain. Jiraiya's plan seems promising, but we have to be sure. However, he showed up with you two."

"What's your point?" Naruto demanded.

Haku sat up, and this time when he smiled it was sad. "When I asked to fight you, I did want to see what your capabilities were, but I was also seeing what type of training you have had. Each village has an Academy and all graduate's fighting styles, at least in the beginning, have some similarities. Yours do not look like something out of Leaf. Clearly, you've been trained by someone in particular and someone who allows you to experiment. However, you could have just have been an elaborate decoy."

"Decoy?" Naruto echoed, much of his anger fading only to be replaced with confusion.

"There is a house of prostitution under the protection of the Leaf Village. The money it brings in partly allows that village to undercut other villages. Several months ago, we learned that several people had escaped which had resulted in a reduced of funds coming from there. The idea that the rebel faction was behind this is widely assumed. However, we could not rule out the possibility that this was all an elaborate plan. We had to consider that you two were just a part of a plot to deceive us into a trap."

"Yeah, we're not." The reference to the House was unnerving. He was used to keeping that information secret, but the way Haku had said it sounded like it was just common knowledge.

"That is clear now. You're pretty protective of Konohamaru and that's a pretty hard thing to fake. You also seem to be bit affectionate, too, judging by that marks on his neck." Haku smile turned into a mischievous one as Naruto felt his cheeks redden. "However, it was mostly a reaction just now combined with that," he nodded behind Naruto, "which convinced me that you are what you say you are. Again, I apologize for putting you through that. Missions are not always pleasant things."

Naruto looked over his shoulders to see Konohamaru who had peeled away from the wall and was now looking confused. It took him a second to realize that he must've noticed the change in the tone of the spar. Had he been coming to help him or stop him? He gestured for him to come over, and Konohamaru unhesitatingly did so, obviously not scared of him.

"We're going back to the room." He slung his arm around Konohamaru and started to turn away.

"Naruto, Konohamaru, I am sorry. Please, at least allow me to treat you to breakfast."

He would've said no, but at that moment both their stomachs growled and in the large empty room, the sound echoed.

Haku took them to a small place where everyone seemed to know him. He ordered for all three of them some sort of fish and rice meal. It started to drizzle outside and Haku began to talk about the weather next. Naruto only half listened, still a little upset about the deception, but also wondering about his anger. Now that he thought about it, it kind of scared him. At that moment, he had wanted to kill Haku. He could only remember feeling like that once before, that had been the night he and Konohamaru had escaped the House. Had it really just been that comment that had set him off? He wasn't sure what he should feel about that.

With a sigh, he let that thought go and tried to pay more attention to the talking. Haku did seem pretty nice, and if he didn't have a choice about tricking them earlier, he probably shouldn't hold that against him. So, he tried to join in on the conversation. Konohamaru had warmed up to Haku and when they finished eating no one seemed in a hurry to leave. Eventually, the meandering talk did go back to the spar.

"So, how did Naruto do?" Konohamaru asked, grinning at Naruto.

Haku grew thoughtful for a moment. "Well, if I had to judge his Taijutsu skills I would place them in the low-Chunin range."

"Is that good," Naruto asked.

"Quite well, especially since I'm guessing you've only had a few months of training. You don't know the ninja rankings?"

"He knows them, he just forgot them." Konohamaru chimed in helpfully.

"And you know them?" Haku question.

"Genin, Chunin and Jounin," Konohamaru answered, grinning at Haku's pleasent smile.

"Very good, but there's also Special Jounin who usually excels in at least one particular field. That's what I am."

Naruto had been drinking tea when he heard that and coughed, causing some tea to go up his nose and being grateful he had ordered it cold. "You're a Jounin."

"Special Jounin," Haku corrected. "My specialty is not Taijutsu, however."

"What is it then?" Konohamaru asked.

"That is a secret of this village so I'm afraid I couldn't tell you. However, do you remember what I told you about that room? How there used to be two ninja there? I've replaced them." Haku took a sip of tea and then said, "I think the rain is stopping."

"You're not much older than I am!" Naruto shouted and then shrunk in his chair as he realized everyone was looking at him.

"Yes, but age and ability are not causational." Haku said, covering his smile with his cup of tea.

"What does causational mean?" Konohamaru asked, relieving Naruto of that duty.

"Causational is the relationship between cause and effect. In most professions, it takes a long time to become good at something, and as you get older you may even master it. However, this is not always the case when it comes to being a ninja. Some excel at a young age and then plateau while others never plateau. Personally, I think it depends on how much a tool someone is willing to become." His eyes flicked to Naruto who wanted to ask him what he meant by that, but as he opened his mouth Haku spoke shockingly, "Konohamaru, is that a hole in your shirt?"

The younger boy looked surprised before following the older teen's line of sight to his sleeve. Curiously, Konohamaru stuck a finger through the small hole that barely let his finger through. "I guess. This was my last shirt without one too."

"Unacceptable," Haku said standing. "Honored guests of Kirigakure cannot be dressed as such. It reflects badly on our hospitality. Come with me right away, I know of a place where they sell fine clothes." He reached over and touched Naruto's shoulder and felt his shirt, "Not to mention clothes that are more appropriate for a ninja in training. Follow me," Haku said, dropping several large ryo notes on the table and heading for the door.

"We don't have any money," Naruto objected.

Haku turned on him, a scowl on his face, "Honored guest of Kirigakure do not have to worry about such things. This is a matter of hospitality."

"Naruto," Konohamaru whispered, "when did we go from guests to Honored guest of Kirigakure?"

"I don't know, but we probably should go along with it." He had a feeling Haku was putting them on. The team had lied to them earlier, but he didn't think Haku was a bad person. "Let's go."

* * *

Shopping with Haku was bizarre. Jiraiya had bought them clothing a few months ago, but that had been a "find what fits you and buy several of the same size" kind of thing. It had taken less than ten minutes with him. Haku was completely different. The store was the first example. It was a small shop, but the racks were filled with clothing and they were all different. The one that Jiraiya had taken them to, that one had a lot of the same thing.

The difference didn't end there. Haku had shooed away the shop attendant and then proceeded through the racks himself. Starting with Naruto's size, he would pull something out and if it met with his approval he would ask Naruto's opinion and then Konohamaru's. If it met with their approval, he threw it over his shoulder and told them to hold onto it. After going through this several times, a dark purple shirt met with his disapproval, but Konohamaru's approval and it was thrown on the rest of the pile.

"Hey I don't like that," Naruto objected.

"Yes, but Konohamaru does." Haku replied.

"My opinion doesn't matter?"

Haku paused browsing and considering. "Well, yeah, but Konohamaru will be the one looking at you. So, his opinion matters."

Naruto didn't know what to say to that, but judging by Konohamaru's smile, he added some clothes just because he thought it would annoy him and Naruto swore revenge. It wasn't a long time coming. After he had about ten sets of clothes, Haku turned his attention to Konohamaru, who was quickly buried in a pile of clothing. Naruto particularly enjoyed picking out some of the more traditional outfits Haku suggested. The younger boy protested that they were for girls, but Naruto would be the one looking at them so they went on the pile which ended up being three times the size of Naruto's.

The changing rooms were in the back, and again, here Haku was different. Instead of sending them both in at the same time he insisted they go in one at the time so the other two could see. Naruto wasn't thrilled with this so he kept the door open just enough so he could see Konohamaru sitting out there.

Out of the ten sets of clothes, they picked three. The shirts were a little loose and went from gray to a darker blue. The shorts went from gray to brown and covered his knees, which Haku pointed out was actually a good feature because, "The last thing you want to be is knee-deep in mud with scraped knees."

Then it was Konohamaru's turn and Haku stood and made sure the door was closed. Naruto opened his mouth to protest, but the teen cut him off. "If you want to ask the question I think you do, it might lead to a conversation you wouldn't want Konohamaru to over hear."

For a second, Naruto didn't know what Haku was talking about, but then he did remember. Hesitating, not really knowing how to word his question, he said, "I don't want to be a tool."

"Really, and why do you say that?"

"Because I don't like being used. I do things because I want to."

At that moment, Konohamaru emerged from the changing room and Haku went through the routine of asking how they felt and if he could freely move in them. When Naruto was asked his opinion, he just shrugged not knowing what to say which put those particular set of clothes in the maybe pile.

Once Konohamaru stepped back inside, he returned to him and said, "How do you see the world, Naruto?"

"What?" Naruto had no idea where that had come from.

"I see the world as a big machine, but it doesn't quite work right. We each tried to fix it, tried to work within it. That's what friends and family are all about, trying to help each other. It doesn't always work."

Haku was smiling the Naruto could tell it was sad. "What happened?"

"I had a family, but one day my father killed my mother because of something she couldn't help and then tried to kill me. I ran and ended up on streets, fighting stray dogs for food."

"I'm sorry." Naruto said quietly, shocked at the others casualness.

"It's all right. I survived." He shook his head, "I can't imagine your situation was much better. I really can't imagine your situation at all."

Naruto thought about it. He had never wanted for food at the House, but he knew there would be pain and he hated the clients. Even the ones he thought of as good now seemed different. They had come there to serve themselves, and even though they had been nice, they didn't really care.

Konohamaru chose that moment to emerge again and Haku slipped on a mask of interest while Naruto just managed to say it looked nice. When Konohamaru went in for another change, he said, "That still doesn't answer my question."

"It's a difference in terms. You see the word tool as something that is used, but I see it as something that fixes or creates. We can create or fix friendships or families and sometimes something even larger."

"So, what did you mean by becoming a tool then?" Naruto said slowly.

"Most people don't dream beyond their world. There's nothing wrong with that, but by their inaction, people like you, me and others will always fall through the cracks. However, when someone does dream big, they need people to help them. That is what I mean by becoming a tool. Be the person they need because you believe in their dream."

That didn't sound so bad Naruto thought. Still, "Zabuza has a dream?"

Haku was about to answer, but Konohamaru emerged at that moment and again they went through the same procedure. Naruto kind of liked the yellow shirt on him, it just seemed right. Haku continued the conversation once the door had shut.

"You wouldn't think it, would you? Zabuza is hard to read, but he brought change to this village like you wouldn't believe. Even in these hard economic times, no one seriously mutters against him. He stopped some traditions that weren't well-liked. Not that I knew all he dreamed of at first. I just knew he was unhappy, but had both the determination to survive and the desire to change things. Once I knew him, I knew he needed people like me. Someone he could trust implicitly. Someone who had faith in him. Someone he could use to achieve his dream."

"I'm not sure if I like that," Naruto said quietly.

Haku leaned close and whispered, "And what wouldn't you do for Konohamaru? Your head over heels in love with him and he trust you implicitly. If you don't want to change the world you certainly want to protect him."

Naruto didn't have a answer for that, and after a few more changes of clothes, he pushed it to the back of his mind. He felt back in the good mood of earlier. Like Naruto, Konohamaru picked out three sets of clothes, and as promised, Haku paid for all of it. Lunch was in order after that, and a tour of the village. For Naruto, the Academy was interesting. Not only did Haku seem to be recognized by many of the kids, but they all seemed happy.

It was a good day, a nice day. When he lay down to sleep, he realized it had been a great day, he had a full stomach, roof over his head and someone very special sleeping next to him. This was good and he realized that people should have the chance to have this. Sakura should have this. Kiba should have this. Everyone in the House should have the chance to have this, and at that moment he realized he wanted to give them that chance. It had been an idea in the back of his head, but now it was a goal.


	20. Dauntless

Jiraiya had allowed time to slip away from him yesterday and he regretted that. However, he had accomplished all he had hoped for and more. Now he would just need to persuade the rest of the rebels to his modified plan. The plan had been coalescing in the back of his head since he had talked to Naruto on the boat, and now he just needed their expertise.

What he did regret about yesterday was not finding the time to see Naruto or Konohamaru. He was trying to be a consistent person in their life and he thought that meant at least nominally making time for them. He had never wanted kids, at least not since learning of the death of the three orphans he spent so much time with. Then these two had made him want to care again. It was no longer the fact that one of them was the grandson of his sensei and the son of his student. They were just Naruto and Konohamaru.

Pausing at their door, he knocked, having learned his lesson multiple times in the past. The door cracked open and Naruto smiled at him, "Morning."

"Can I come in?"

Naruto answered by letting the door swing open wide and stepping back into the room. There were several pillows scattered over the room and only one of the beds looked like it had been slept in. "Pillow fight?" Jiraiya questioned?

"Yep," Konohamaru chirped, sitting cross-legged on the still made bed.

Jiraiya frowned at the younger boy, "Where did you get those clothes?"

"Haku bought them for us." Naruto said shrugging. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Jiraiya remembered being told that Haku would keep the boys entertained, but he had not thought him to be generous.

"You said you were going to take the House down, when are you going to do it?"

Jiraiya looked at the blonde, surprised. He had said that when they had first met, but Naruto had not brought it up since. Now he had brought it up again, just as he was going to ask him about it. "Actually, I was hoping you could sort of help me with that." He held up a book in his hand and explained. "This is called a Recognition Book. Ninja villages develop these because there are times when we have to deal with high officials and other considerably wealthy individuals. Sometimes it's to guard them and other times it is to assassinate them. Basically, it has a photo of them and relevant information, such as their rank or location, stuff like that. After what you told me, Naruto, I was curious if there might be any…" He trailed off not exactly sure how to refer to them.

"Clients," Naruto supplied.

"Yeah."

The boy frowned. "How would that shut the House down?"

Jiraiya sat on the bed and gestured for him to come closer. The Mist was agreeing to back their venture, but only if they succeeded. He didn't want to give them any additional details just in case they reconsidered. "Konoha is holding something called the Chunin Exam this year. It's an event which allows villages to show off their various ninja. A good showing means lots of business. Some people also use this as an opportunity to have secret meetings with people they ordinarily wouldn't meet with. Government officials and wealthy individuals attend." He hesitated, but he was probably the only one squeamish about this. "The House is very expensive. Some of these people might be so inclined to go there before or after the exam."

"So?" Naruto said.

The boy could be subtle but couldn't read subtlety, Jiraiya thought. "The rebels will shut down the House before this event, which will cause Konoha to lose face. The House is under their protection and everyone knows it. If we destroy it-"

"You're going to kill our friend?," Naruto shouted.

"No," Jiraiya snapped. "We'll take all your friends and keep them safe like we did with you, Hinata and Hanabi. All the kids there will be safe. We may burn the building down or something like that."

"Cool," Konohamaru said.

Jiraiya chuckled. "Well, if we destroy the House, which, as I said, is under their protection, it will make them look bad. About the only way they can recover from this if they catch the people responsible. That means they'll have to send people after us, which will leave Danzo, their leader, a little less protected." It was basically his plan in a nutshell with a few details left out.

"So, what do you want us to do?" Naruto questioned.

He raised the book again. "I want you to go through this and tell me if you recognize anyone. It'll help me persuade the others."

"So see if we recognize anyone," Naruto said, taking the large book out of his hands and feeling its weight.

"Pretty much," Jiraiya said.

He watched as the blonde sat on the edge of the bed, Konohamaru coming to sit next to him. For twenty minutes they flipped through the book, occasionally spotting a familiar face. By Jiraiya's count, there were two fairly powerful gangsters, seven different government officials from various countries and at least one powerful industrialist. There was also about a dozen people who, while themselves didn't hold a powerful position, were very closely linked to someone who did. Sons and even daughters had frequented the House. The most prominent one was the first son of the Grass daimyo. Konohamaru called him The Octopus because of his tendency to grope anyone who walked by. That comment made Jiraiya punter a political assassination.

The knock at the door pulled him out of his cathartic thoughts. He gestured for the boys to continue looking through the book while he went to open the door. He had been expecting a messenger, perhaps from Zabuza, but not his shadow. "Haku?"

The teen bowed politely, "Master Jiraiya, I did not know you would be here. My apologies if I interrupted something."

Jiraiya smiled, noticing the two packages the boy carried in his arms. "No, or at least nothing that can't wait a few minutes. May I inquire what you have there?"

"Well, I hoped Naruto and Konohamaru informed you of our impromptu shopping trip the other day. These are some additional gifts. From the village, of course," the boy's smile didn't fool him.

"Of course," Jiraiya said, stepping aside to let him in.

"Haku," Naruto said a bit too loudly when he saw who it was.

Jiraiya stood back and watched as the three boys briefly interacted with each other. It was nice, even normal he thought. It seemed, despite their circumstances, they did have a way of making friends. Then, Haku was talking to him. "Sorry?"

"I said," Haku started again, "wouldn't you like to see them wear the jackets?"

"Sure," he smiled sheepishly and hoped they weren't too eye-catching.

He sat on the made bed with Konohamaru on one side and Haku on the other as Naruto went into the bathroom to open his package. A moment later, Naruto emerged wearing something similar to Haku's clothes in style, but light green with light blue trimming slightly darker than his eye color. It was nice, but when he spun around to show his back, he showed four characters stitched with white thread.

"Dauntless?"

"I could have been a bit presumptuous, but from what I've seen that describes him quite well," Haku said.

"What's dauntless mean?" Konohamaru asked.

"It means he has fortitude and resolution in difficult circumstances, or if you prefer, he has guts," Haku explained.

Jiraiya watched Naruto's cheeks turn red as a thoughtful expression crossed Konohamaru's face before nodding, "Yeah, that's Naruto."

Jiraiya didn't know what to say to that and it seemed neither did Naruto as he took Konohamaru's place on the bed. The boy went into the bathroom and there was a moment of silence before he shouted, "I'm not wearing it!"

Somehow, Jiraiya had never managed to feel shame until these two boys had entered his life. For the second time since meeting them, he felt his cheeks flushed with embarrassment. He was about to open his mouth to say something, but Haku put a hand on his arm stopping him.

"Konohamaru, I assure you it's not girl's clothing. I'm also sure Naruto would like to see you in it at least once. You don't have to wear it ever again."

"Yeah," Naruto seconded. "Just one time. No one will make fun of you."

There was a moment of silence before the door opened. Konohamaru emerged face downcast, but wearing a bright yellow jacket. The sleeves flared out at the bottom, covering his hands. He did a quick spin, showing a seagull embroidered on the back.

"That's definitely not girl's clothing," Jiraiya observed.

"You look great Konohamaru," Naruto said, walking over to get a better look. The boy submitted to his older friend's inspection. "It really does look good on you."

"A bit big," Konohamaru said, tugging at the sleeves.

"They're supposed to be that way," Haku told him. "There's enough room for your hands to do everything they need to in a battle, but they also hide whatever hand seals you're making."

That finally brought a smile to the younger boy's face. "Thank you."

"Yeah, thank you," Naruto added.

Haku smiled serenely. "It was my pleasure."

"Your village has really been generous to us," Jiraiya added, looking at the older teen.

"Well, we have a mutual goal," Haku said before gesturing subtly to the door. "I must be going."

"I'll walk you to the stairs," Jiraiya said, wondering what the other would want to talk to him about.

The boys took a minute to say goodbye to each other and Haku seemed as if he wasn't in a rush. However, once the door closed behind them, his demeanor changed to ice cold. "You are aware that those two were both sexually active with each other?"

He was surprised by the directness of the statement. He also wasn't sure how to answer. "What concern is it of yours?"

"Are you okay with it?"

He could feel his strong clinch. What he should be doing and what he had been doing for two separate things. "I don't like it, but I don't want to step in either."

Haku's expression softened. "Good. I was afraid you were going to try something foolish. They like each other and Naruto is fiercely protective of Konohamaru. I don't think he let the boy out of his sight yesterday for more than a moment. It may not be the healthiest thing for them, but given their circumstances I think it helps them. Naruto needs someone to protect and Konohamaru needs protection."

Jiraiya wasn't sure about that, but he nodded. "Why did you ask if you weren't sure I knew?"

"Because you would've found out if you didn't already and I may not have been there to deliver the slap upside the head you would need." Haku's smile took most of the hostility out of his words. "It's abnormal to be sure, but we ninjas don't exactly live in a normal world. For example, I killed my father. Most would judge me harshly for that even though it was in self-defense. I think someone would judge them more harshly, but that doesn't mean their interference would be right."

"Yeah," Jiraiya wasn't really agreeing, but he saw no point in disagreeing. "Is that all you wanted to tell me?"

"No, I do have an official message to deliver."Haku paused, taking a deep breath and said, "Please take her with you."

"Pardon?"

"Tsunade, she has taken up residence where you disembarked. She doesn't do much other than get drunk, gamble and occasionally practice medicine to pay off some debts. At first, we tolerated her presence partly to test our security measures. As she has been labeled a missing-nin, we were sure Danzo would send someone after her. She's been here for more than two years, and as far as we can tell, not one attempt. Either Danzo doesn't care or he doesn't want to cause an incident. Either way, she's outworn her welcome here and I'm sure you rebels could use her skills."

Jiraiya had almost stopped listening to the boy in shock. Since siding with the rebels his information network had been shifted over to other concerns. He had not thought of Tsunade in a very long time. He had known better than to try to convince her to join the rebels simply because she was too lost in her own pain. Still, with her so close, he had to do something. "I will do what I can."

Haku smiled, "I wish you the best of luck."

Jiraiya went back to the room, his thoughts on his old teammate. In the end, the boys identified twenty-two people who visited the House, with any hope, that would be more than enough to persuade the others to attack. Afterwards, they quietly gathered their stuff and departed with no fanfare. The temperature had dropped and both boys wore their gifts, Konohamaru now seemingly happy in his bright yellow jacket. The two boys were at ease with each other as they conducted a long, rambling conversation.

As they approached the inn at which they have stayed at on the way to the hidden village, Jiraiya stopped and waited for the two boys to notice. They both stopped and turned to stare back at him curiously. "Naruto, I need you to make a decision." He paused long enough just for the slight smile to fall from the boy's face. "In a short time, we will be making our move to take back the village. Do you wish to participate as a ninja? If so, there are several things I need to teach you, but due to a lack of time, Konohamaru will not have the time to learn the skills. His body is simply not developed enough. You'll have to leave him behind for a few days, but I promise you, he will be safe."

The blonde matched his gaze for a long time and almost hesitantly suggested, "I know the layout of the House. Would that be helpful?"

Jiraiya nodded, "That's one reason I would like you there. Another is the others know you. It will be easier to move them that way. I need a decision."

The boy was silent for a long moment before he nodded, "I want to be there."

"Good," Jiraiya said walking past the two boys. "We'll start when we get back to Inari's place." He wondered why he had chosen that moment to question Naruto, but during dinner he chopped it up to his subconscious.

* * *

Naruto was upset. He hated when Konohamaru gave him the cold shoulder. He actually could remember every time it happened. The first time was when his friend had been six and Naruto wouldn't let him join in a card game. In the end, he had caved and they had lost five hundred points. A little before they had started doing stuff together they had argued about a candy bar, or more accurately, that Konohamaru wanted to trade some of his points in for one while Naruto wanted him to keep them. That had been a little argument that had exploded. The third time was when they had been leading up to doing stuff together.

Each time Naruto had caved in and agreed to do what the boy wanted. It was rare they argued, and when they did it was like stuff over the candy bar which really had been too small to matter. This time, though, it had come on suddenly. From the moment he had answered Jiraiya's question was the moment Konohamaru start to pretend he didn't exist. It was a very quiet dinner made worse by the fact that the inn was empty except for them.

Konohamaru slipped out of his chair quietly and muttered to no one in particular, "I'm going to the room."

Naruto watched the smaller boy go. He quietly slipped into the room just outside the dining area. Konohamaru did not look back once and that hurt. Absentmindedly, he picked up a napkin and began tearing it into small pieces and dropping them on his plate.

There was a long moment of silence before Jiraiya asked hesitantly, "Did something happen between you two?"

The blonde glanced up at the older man who was stiff, clearly uncomfortable. "He doesn't like my decision. Pretending I'm not here is his way of telling me that. Konohamaru knows I always gave in."

Jiraiya took an obscenely long sip from his tea. "So, are you?"

Naruto finished tearing apart the napkin and looked around for something else to play with. "I don't want to."

"So don't." Jiraiya said simply. "Listen, I am not the best person to give advice on relationships but you can't always give in, especially when you really want something."

Naruto felt his lip curl up, but didn't find anything funny. "I wanna help you. I want to shut down the House, but I don't know."

Jiraiya was quiet for a moment, probably trying to make sense of something that even he didn't understand. "If you don't talk, nothing's going to change."

He closed his eyes. "Yeah." He turned his head to stare at the room Konohamaru had disappeared into. It seemed like a very long way away and every step his legs became heavier and heavier. The door was heavy and squeaked in protest. The boy in question had his back to the door. As Naruto approached he could see he was fiddling with that puzzle cube. "How's that coming?"

Konohamaru didn't even look up from his puzzle.

"I'll teach you anything Jiraiya teaches me once he's done."

Silence was the only thing that followed.

Naruto sat down in front of Konohamaru. "What do you want me to do?"

This finally convinced Konohamaru to look up at him. "Don't go. Don't leave me behind."

"I'm not," Naruto protested. "I'm just going to be away for a little. It's not like I'll be gone for a long time." He didn't know if that was true, but it didn't sound like it would take a long time.

"If you go away, you won't come back."Konohamaru said, going back to fiddling with the puzzle.

Naruto let out a sigh, "Come on. It's not like this is the first time we'll go a while without seeing each other. I used to get locked away on those damn honeymoons all the time."

"But I knew where you were! Now you'll be someplace else. You're going to leave me behind and not come back. I know it. I know it!"

Konohamaru try to stand so he could storm away, but Naruto's arm shot out and grabbed his forearm before pulling him into a hug even though the boy squirmed. He just held onto the boy until he stopped and started crying into his shoulder.

"It's all right. I love you. I'll always come back to you."

The boy continued to cry and Naruto didn't know why. Eventually, he exhausted himself and that was how Jiraiya found them. They put Konohamaru to bed together. Jiraiya didn't ask what was going on and Naruto didn't really want to tell him. He slept fitfully that night, but in the morning, Konohamaru seemed to acknowledge he was there. As they set out, the boy clung to his hand like it was his lifeline.


	21. Revelations

Authors note: it's been a while. Yeah, things have been rough for me.

* * *

"She is in her 30s here, but she could look like anywhere in her 20s or 40s."

Naruto watched as the stall owner leaned forward to get a better look at the picture Jiraiya was showing him. He opened his mouth and then shut it and shook his head. "Can't say that I have."

Jiraiya let out a long, exhausted breath. "I'm guessing you don't do a lot of haggling because you're a terrible liar. Listen, I'm an old coworker of hers. I heard she was in town and I just want her to meet my kids."

Naruto stiffened at the unexpected attention, but the man just glanced over at him and Konohamaru and bit his lip in thought. "Last I heard she was at the Seaside Inn. I don't know if she's still there though." Then, unprompted, he added, "She fixed my son's hand when he cut it last week."

"Yeah, she's good at the medical stuff," Jiraiya said as he stepped back and gave a little bow of thanks.

Jiraiya started to walk away and Naruto started after him only to realize that Konohamaru was still standing back there. Naruto went back and grabbed him by the arm. Konohamaru had been doing that all day, seemingly zoning out while staying very quiet. Naruto knew the silent treatment and this wasn't that. This was something else. It was annoying and it was making him angry which was making him feel guilty. Jiraiya had even tried to see if he was sick by feeling his forehead, but that had been normal.

"Aren't you going too asked for directions?" Naruto asked as he pulled the smaller boy along.

Jiraiya glanced over his shoulder at the two of them. "That guy wouldn't have given it to us. I'm guessing Tsunade has been giving some medical treatment to the people around here. That was about the fifth person I had asked that I think knew her, but he was the first that I could cajole into giving information. Besides, I saw that Inn earlier."

Naruto wondered how Jiraiya could keep track of anything in the twisting maze of streets, but the man seemed to know where he was going. Belatedly, it occurred to him that if this woman, Tsunade, could do medical stuff, maybe she could do something for Konohamaru. He glanced back at his friend who was staring down at the ground. Naruto hoped Konohamaru was faking

Jiraiya came to a stop in front of a building that Naruto guessed was the Inn. It looked rundown to Naruto's eyes. Not like how some of the buildings looked in Wave, but just haphazard.

"Naruto, Konohamaru, don't say anything unless you're asked a question directly. She is a bit temperamental. I don't_ think_ she will be violent."

Naruto followed Jiraiya into the building wondering why he had emphasized the word think. The inside of the building looked better than the outside with highly polished wood everywhere and a pretty woman behind the desk. He only half listened as Jiraiya talked her up and they were pointed to the attached restaurant/bar to wait. They took a seat in one of the booths and Naruto sat next to Konohamaru before squeezing his hand. The boy spirit a glanced at him, but turned his attention to the tabletop.

"Has he ever been like this before?" Jiraiya questioned, leaning over to Konohamaru's eye level.

"No," Naruto answered. "You best not be faking, Konohamaru, you really have me worried about you."

Surprisingly, that got Konohamaru to glance at him and he smiled weakly. "I'm fine."

Naruto shifted in his seat, somehow more uncomfortable now than he had been before. "She can make people better, right?"

"I told you. Tsunade was a medical-nin. Probably the best."

"Mitate, was really good. I always felt better the next morning no matter what happened."

"Mitate?" Jiraiya questioned.

"Yeah, he was the medical-nin who looked after us. Everyone liked him... " Naruto trailed off as a woman walked into the room.

The blonde had just recognized her when she looked over at them and said, "Oh no, what do you want?"

Jiraiya stood smiling. "Old teammates need a reason to see each other?"

"When they have to lie so the other will show up, yes, they do need a reason," Tsunade responded. "You told the clerk there was a sick kid. That's a bit low even for you."

"Actually, I do have a sick kid with me. They both need checkups now that I think about it."

The woman blinked at this, and for the first time, looked at Naruto as if she had just noticed him. She took several steps to get a better view but none towards the table until she could see Konohamaru. Naruto tried to smile, not sure what he was supposed to do.

"Did some old girlfriends finally catch up to Jiraiya?"

"I'm careful, Tsunade, you know that. There are no little Jiraiya is running around without a father. I think you can figure out who they are. Now, are you satisfied or would you like to ask me how many teeth of mine you knocked out?"

The woman grunted as she eyed Konohamaru. "No, you're voice is that unique type of annoying no one can quite master. Come up to my room."

Naruto slid out of the booth a little warily. He wasn't sure where they were going and he didn't like that. Women could be just as dangerous as any man in his experience. Still, Jiraiya trusted this woman and he trusted Jiraiya.

They filed upstairs and into a room. Tsunade took a seat on a question and gestured for Konohamaru to sit in front of her. He didn't move until Naruto gave him a little nudge.

"What's wrong?" For a second no one answered and then she snapped. "Well someone talk!"

"He's weird." Naruto said.

Tsunade looked towards him. "Weird how?"

"He's not focused. It's like he's not all there." Jiraiya said.

The woman leaned forward and touched her hand to his forehead. "No temperature. Suppose he hasn't been hit on the head or anything?"

"No, he was pretty normal then this happened. Kind of overnight."

"We were fighting," Naruto ventured.

Tsunade's head snapped towards him, scowling. "Did you hit him on his head? Drop him on his head?"

"I wouldn't hurt him. I love him. He just wasn't happy that I was going to train without him. We argued about it and this happened." He gestured to Konohamaru, not knowing how to describe it.

The woman stared at him for a minute and turned her gaze on Jiraiya. "I want to talk to you in the hallway. You two, stay here."

Naruto watched as the two adults went out of the room and sighed. For the first time in a while he had no idea what was going on.

* * *

Jiraiya had seen Tsunade only two times since she had left the village. Both had been chance encounters when he heard about a woman in town with a particularly bad losing streak. When the takeover happened, he had worried what she would do and briefly hoped she would seek out the rebels. He knew she had been labeled a Missing-nin like the rest of them, but she seemed to have just drifted further away.

Not three steps in the hallway, though, she rounded on him a fire in her eyes he had not seen in decades. "What the hell were you thinking bring kids into your situation?"

"Mine?" Jiraiya questioned. "I wasn't the one who brought them into this."

"You expect me to believe that the grandson of our sensei and the child of your prize student just walked up to you and said 'hey, I want to run away with you?' Jiraiya, you've done a lot of things in your life but this is by far the lowest."

Jiraiya stared at his old teammate for a moment, and for the first time in his life he wanted to hit her, but the cold, analytical part of his mind bypassed his emotions. For a second, he saw Konoha as an outsider would see it. It was a strong, prosperous village, that was the public image. The discontent of the other hidden villages about its growing strength was not something widely spoken of. They were, after all, ninjas and preferred to keep things quiet. "What do you know of home?"

If Tsunade's glare could kill he would be dead several times over. "Danzo should not have done what he did, but vengeance serves no purpose."

Jiraiya stared at his old teammate for several heartbeats. It only slowly dawned on him how in the loop he was and how out of it she was. Ninjas were used to keeping secrets, but he had lived with some of these for so long he had forgotten how well they were hidden. It was peculiar to watch Tsunade's reaction. Her hard as granite expression slowly crumbling away as he informed her of everything he knew. She said nothing. She just pushed past him and headed down the stairs.

Jiraiya ran his fingers through his hair. He wasn't sure what to expect, but that wasn't it. Tsunade had always run to the extreme when it came to emotions. Silence was uncharted territory. Popping his head into the room, he told the boy he would be back in a few minutes and headed downstairs.

Tsunade was at the bar, unsurprisingly. She was drinking right from the bottle.

Taking the stool next to her, he said, "You must've heard some rumors?"

She smacked the empty bottle down on the bar. "A rumor spread by the opposition, standard tactic."

"A disinformation campaign," Jiraiya commented. "We didn't even consider that. It is still our village, after all."

"What do you want from me? I turned my back on the village a long time ago." Tsunade said, reaching over the counter and grabbing another bottle.

Jiraiya placed a hand on it before she could open it. "Konohamaru is acting strange. He needs your help." Tsunade's hand left the bottle and Jiraiya pulled it out of her reach.

"You want me to join your cause, don't you?"

"Sharp as always," Jiraiya teased. "From what I heard around town, you got over your fear of blood."

"Yeah, well, I only have two marketable skills, killing and healing. In this country, the Mist has a pretty firm monopoly on the former."

"And you can't outrun your debts when you have to stay in one country," Jiraiya observed.

"Shut up."

For the first time, Jiraiya smiled. That sounded like the old Tsunade. "I don't care if you come back to the village, but we could really use your help. Think of the children."

"That's low."

"And true," Jiraiya came back immediately. "Naruto and Konohamaru were lucky, but there's still a lot back there."

"You could rescue the rest of them."

"That's the plan, or at least part of it." That was partly true, he had sent messages out before leaving Kirigakure, but it could take a while before all of the totes found their targets. "Truth be told, I'm not sure what I would've done if I had known they were there. They escaped on their own and I just caught up to them."

"Yeah, why do you think they chose to run then?"

Jiraiya perked up, he had glossed over the explanation for that. "Well, you see, they have this deal at the House where the more money you bring in the more point you could get. You could trade the points in four different things like time off. Naruto worked very hard and gave his points to Konohamaru so he didn't have to do the same things he had to do. Then, one day, they broke that rule. Naruto grabbed Konohamaru and ran."

Tsunade snorted. "Brave kid."

"Brave, determined and better than us," Jiraiya said sitting up straight. "We, possibly the two greatest ninjas of our generation, sit at a bar stealing drinks while a tyrant rules over our home village."

Tsunade rubbed her forehead. "Yeah, I'm in. Shizune will probably want to join too when she gets back tomorrow. I sent her to collect some herbs." She let out a long sigh as if the weight of the world had just settled on her shoulders. "You really didn't tell Konohamaru to fake his condition?"

Jiraiya was unprepared for the sudden change in subject. "No, Naruto and Konohamaru had a fight because Naruto was going to do some training by himself instead of together like they usually do. Konohamaru got really upset over it." Jiraiya waited as Tsunade seemed to work through the problem.

"Do you know if he saw anything during the takeover? What does he remember?"

Jiraiya shrugged. "He says he doesn't remember anything. I never really pried. He was five at the time."

"He should remember something. It's very odd that he doesn't remember anything."

"You're onto something?" Jiraiya observed.

"Maybe. About 20 years ago I read about a technique for blocking memories. Originally, it was a way to conceal information. A ninja could receive a message and then have someone block it from there memory. When they arrived at their destination, the block would be removed. It worked for a while, but as it turns out, removing the block wasn't anything too complicated. It was phased out. I thought we could use it to treat mental trauma. It didn't work. One message is one thing but a traumatic event is a lot more complicated. For example, if you block a fight from someone's mind, the next time they are in a similar situation to the blocked fight it would trigger something. They would start picking at the hole in their memory. Difficulty concentrating was the chief symptom."

"You think someone blocked his memory?" Jiraiya suggested.

She shrugged. "Maybe they thought they were being kind. Not sure why that fight would start him picking at it. It's easy enough to check, and if I'm not wrong, no downside." She started to stand.

"And if you're right?"

Tsunade paused. "When the block is removed, it's like it just happened a few minutes ago. Doesn't matter if the block is been there for days, weeks or months."

"Years?" Jiraiya questioned.

"To the best of my knowledge, it has never been tried before.

* * *

Konohamaru could feel Naruto sitting behind him. As always, he was a source of comfort although he seemed a bit upset today. He would deal with that as soon as he remembered what he was forgetting. It was important. It was just out of reach though, and if he just thought about it hard enough he could remember.

Then that woman was in front of him again, he couldn't remember her name. Can't people just leave him alone for a few minutes? All this talking was distracting. Damn, she was asking him a question. "I'm fine." That should tide them over. Was her hand coming towards him?

Then, Konohamaru was in a different place. He was in his bedroom, sitting on the floor. It was dark outside, but he knew it was early morning and not late night because he always got up early in the morning. His mom said it was okay as long as he played quietly. In front of him was a tower of multicolored blocks. He wanted to build the tower really big. So high it would touch the ceiling. Now, it was only waist high, but soon he would have to stand on the tip of his toes to place the next block. Carefully, he placed the next block on the tower and it started to sway. Konohamaru clenched his fist and held his breath as the tower swayed, and for a second, it looked like it would hold, but then it toppled over sending colorful blocks across the room.

Standing, he kicked the blocks into a pile and he started building again. The door to his room slid open and his mama came into his room looking not angry and not sad. It worried him. "I'm quiet." Konohamaru spoke in a high voice.

His mama smiled, "Yes, you're a good boy. Come with me."

She leaned down and scooped him up. "I'm too big. I can walk."

"Just this once okay. Just this once." His mother spoke quietly and there was something in her tone that made him not want to protest.

They ran down a darkened hallway and made a turn. He was put down and he realized they were standing in front of the closet where the extra blankets and stuff were kept. His mommy pulled out a box and then pulled something up. He couldn't really see what she was doing and her nervousness was starting to wear on him.

"Mama?"

"It will be okay, Konohamaru. We're going to play hide and seek for a very long time. Don't make a noise, no matter what you hear. This is a really good hiding spot. No one will find you here. I'll come back and tell you when it's okay. I'll be back for you. I'm going to go away for a little, but I'm going to come back for you."

Konohamaru was scared. He didn't want to play hide and seek, but then his mommy was hugging him tightly and saying that she loved him. Then he was being lowered and she gave him a quick kiss on the forehead. The last thing he saw was her face smiling down at him before the cover was replaced and he could hear something being moved on top. Then he heard nothing. It was quite and dark. The dark didn't bother him. There was nothing in the dark that wasn't there when there was light. That was what daddy said.

He leaned back against the wall and stretched out his legs trying to figure out how big this place was. After a little experimenting, he found if he kept his hands on one wall and stretched out this toes could just touch the other end. He twisted around and found the space was a square, but he couldn't stand up.

After a while, he closed his eyes, but it was so dark he wasn't sure he actually closed them. The world looked the same. After some time he heard explosions. Explosions weren't uncommon to hear but they sounded a lot closer than they usually did. The sun must be up if people were training. How long was this going to last for? Time seem to crawl by and he was getting bored and hungry. Konohamaru tried not to think about it. He just got hungrier, though, and wished he had something to eat. He started to think about bananas and his favorite dessert, chocolate covered bananas.

The hunger didn't go away, but after a while another problem started to come up. He had to pee. At first, he could hold it, but as time passed it began to hurt. Konohamaru never knew not peeing could hurt so much. He started to think about calling out not caring if he lost the game. This wasn't any fun. Still, mommy told him to be quiet. Hugging his stomach, he pushed his knees to his chest. That helped, until it didn't. It got worse and worse until he started thinking about doing something he shouldn't.

It just hurt so much!

Feeling his way to a corner, he quietly relieved himself, knowing mommy would be angry at him when she got back. Retreating to the furthest corner from where he had peed, he began to think. Maybe he shouldn't care if mommy was angry at him. He was angry at her. She was bad. The anger felt good for little, but then he thought maybe mommy wasn't coming back for him. Maybe she put him in here because she didn't love him anymore. He didn't like that thought so he started to think about daddy. Then he started to wonder if mommy said they had to get rid of him, would daddy say no or did he love mommy more?

Konohamaru started to cry. Snot started to run onto his pajama bottoms. He couldn't blow his nose and he really didn't care. He just buried his head in his knees. Then he felt something on his neck, something with eight legs. He jumped, forgetting the low ceiling and cracked his head against the wood. Stunned, he stumbled and fell, hitting against a wall. His hand landed in a damp spot. The pain made everything hurt, but he realized what his hand was resting in. That was it.

He let out a scream. Konohamaru screamed and screamed until his throat hurt. He pounded his fist against the ceiling wildly trying to find the loose part. He could feel the splinters and he didn't care. He had to get out of here.

One of his fists got lucky. Part of the ceiling gave and he pushed against it. It was heavy, but when he pushed up far enough something slipped off the side and it wasn't heavy anymore. He wanted out. He wanted to see the light. Wanted to see mommy and daddy and never come back here again.

The closet door slid to the side. It should have been easy to move. Konohamaru wasn't thinking clearly. He just pushed his weight against it until it popped off the track and it and he landed on the floor. It took him a second to stand. First, he got on his hands and knees before standing, leaving bloody hand prints behind. Standing, he started to stumble down the hallway, heading to the kitchen because there was always bananas there.

Part of him was expecting to see his mother there in the kitchen, having forgotten he was hiding. That idea made a lot of sense, but the only thing he found in the kitchen was an overturned table. He barely noticed it. The bananas were on the counter like always, but halfway there something did catch his eye. There were two entrances to the kitchen and something made him move to the other doorway.

He paused a few steps away and looked at the dark stain that he didn't remember being there. It was big. Konohamaru's mind worked slowly and he looked down at his hands. His knuckles were bloody and there were several cuts. Some of the blood was dark. Slowly he made the connection that the stain was blood. Some instinctual part of his brain told him to run.

He was running and not thinking. He was out of the house and pushing past his family's gate into the streets. Konohamaru almost immediately ran into someone and hit the ground again. This time it was compacted dirt which hurt just as much. He started to cry again, but he didn't have any tears this time.

People started to gather around him. He didn't understand what was going on. Everything was wrong. The whole day was wrong. Konohamaru could feel someone stepping close to him, but he couldn't focus his eyes to see who it was and then there was nothing.

Konohamaru came back to the himself of today. He remembered what he had forgotten and wished he hadn't. He didn't remember starting to cry, but the arms wrapped around him were familiar and he buried his face into Naruto's chest as he cried. Mommy and daddy were dead. He had known that, but now he felt it.


	22. Midnight Rendezvous

Shikamaru sat on a stone bench and watched as a string of ants slowly took apart a dead moth. Ever since he had become teammates with Shino, he had slowly begun to appreciate the insect world. Besides, it was a lot easier to look down than up. When a shadow fell over him, he looked over to see his father staring at him. He waited a moment for him to say something, but when nothing was forthcoming, he prompted, "Dad?"

Shikaku didn't speak at first, but then moved to sit next to his son without a word. "Our deer are losing their antlers a bit early this year. I figured with the exams coming up it would be a nice relaxing trip for us to take. That is before your mother gets on you about your training and gets on me to train you even harder."

"That sounds all right," Shikamaru said, wondering why his father seemed so uneasy.

His father stood and brushed off nonexistent dirt from his pants. "Good, we'll leave early in the morning so go to bed early."

"Sure," Shikamaru watched his father walk away and wondered what seemed off about the conversation before deciding it was too troublesome.

The next day, Shikamaru awoke before dawn and was still half asleep. Father and son left the village quietly with little said between the two of them. Their silence continued as the sun rose to mid-afternoon, and after a while, it started to worry Shikamaru. He started to remember the last time the two of them were alone for an extended time. That day, he had received the birds and bees talk which was embarrassing for both of them. He wasn't sure if there was more uncomfortable father-son talk to be had in the future. Well, when in doubt strike first. "Is this about the Chunin Exam?"

Shikaku chuckled, "No lecture, just relax." He paused for a second and then added, "Do you really want to be promoted?"

That question caught Shikamaru by surprise. "The Hokage wants my team to take the exam."

"Danzo wants a good showing from some youngsters. The average age for an examinee is sixteen, so if you don't think you're ready then it would be a mistake to take it."

Shikamaru stopped walking and actually gave the question some thought. He had always just assumed that you advanced to the next rank when you were ready. Personal feelings were not supposed to factor into your decision. If they did, he wouldn't have left the old man on the road like he had. He still wondered what happened to the bridge builder. "I'm not sure if I'm ready for a promotion."

"What's worrying you?" Shikaku paused, but didn't turn around.

"The aborted mission," Shikamaru answered quietly. He waited for his father's response, but nothing came. "I don't think I could make that decision. Technically, it was the right decision to make, but I don't think I would've made it. Chunin have to make that decision all the time though."

The silence stretched between the two of them until it was uncomfortable. Then, Shikaku turned to face Shikamaru slowly. "There was a time when we tried to strike a balance between practicality and morality. Using your logic, though, perhaps you should withdraw from the exam."

"I can't. I'll be holding back my team." Shikamaru stared at the ground. He was caught between two strong personalities. His father encouraged him to go at his own pace while his mother was more demanding when it came to everything. There was the Hokage who wanted a young team to make a showing. Then there was the obligation to his village hung in the background looming over his parents.

Shikaku smirked and turned back down the road. "Responsibility, that's good. Listen, Shikamaru, after every round you will be given the option to quit. No matter who or how they host the tournament, individuals are allowed to drop out before the final round. Take it if you make it that far."

"Yeah? What will mom think?"

Shikaku started walking. "There are a lot of things worse than your mother's wrath."

Shikamaru didn't disagree, but he had his doubts.

They reached their destination just as the sun passed its midway point in the early afternoon. Father and son had a leisurely lunch under a tree before setting out on their search. Shikamaru knew that the Nara clan had a peculiar relationship with the deer. They could be summoned, but they had little fighting abilities. They could be used to run messages, but even there they were large targets, and not just for other ninja. What they were best at was keeping people off of their land which was full of various medical herbs, many quite rare and others very difficult to grow. The fact that their antlers had medicinal properties had only been discovered much later. Of course, trying to have the deer drop their antlers in the same place had proved impossible.

Father and son spent the rest of the day searching the woods, finding only a few. At one point, Shikamaru did see several bucks that had not dropped their antlers. He wondered if his father had just overreacted. After a second thought, he scratch that and decided his father had want to give him that little speech about the exam. This exam thing was becoming really troublesome.

They set camp up in the forest. When Shikamaru asked his father whether they would be staying tomorrow or not he got uncharacteristically vague answer of, "We will see." Shikamaru decided not to care, assuming it would just be a nonstop training regime when he got back. With that, he stretched and headed for his sleeping bag.

Shikamaru's usual deep sleep was fitful. He kept having recurring dreams about the old man and the different fates he might've met. Only in his dream, he was the one making the decision to return to the village. Again, his mind took liberties with the event, having the old man shout curses at them or plead for their help as they walked away.

At one point, he woke up and thought he heard something, but drifted back to sleep. When he woke again, the fire was out. That was not noteworthy, but when he rolled over and saw that his father's sleeping bag was empty he became alert. Part of him just assumed his father had to use the bushes, but part of his mind wasn't satisfied with that.

Sitting up, he listened for a second before standing up. Closing his eyes, he listened and heard something coming from behind and to his right. Letting his curiosity get the better of him, he headed in that direction quietly. There was a little hill, and as he approached, he put his hands on the ground and edged up towards the top.

In the moonlight, he could see his father talking to another man. The man was partially facing his father, but it looked like a mask covered his face. He was just about to retreat when he felt the kunai pressed against his throat as a quiet feminine voice said, "Please don't move."

Shikamaru's heart skipped several beats as sweat broke out all along his back and palms. He had just enough time to curse when a second, younger voice called out. "We got someone."

His father and the man both looked in his direction. Oddly, he noticed that the man was only wearing half a mask with a Konoha hitai-ate draped over an eye. His father's face was slack. "Shikamaru?" He called out.

"Yeah," he answered his father.

"Hinata, Hanabi, I told you to alert us if someone was coming."

The man's voice sounded more tired than annoyed to Shikamaru's ears. That, combined with the Konoha hitai-ate, made him hope he was not in danger.

"Well, you told us to tell you if someone _new_ was coming. We saw him already and we weren't sure if he had to pee until he got too close."

It was the younger of the two voices who answered, which the analytical part of Shikamaru's mind counted as another thing in his favor. That really did sound like a young kid.

The man let out a long sigh. "I should've been clearer. How do you want to handle this, Shikaku?"

"I'll give him a choice."

Somehow, the man managed to convey a shrug by merely moving his eyebrow. "Hinata, would you let him up?"

The kunai was removed from his neck, and after a second, when he thought his legs wouldn't fail, he climbed to his feet. He spared a glance over at the girl who had ambushed him. He really couldn't see what Hinata looked like. The moon was behind her and her hair draped over her face. Staring down the little rise, he glanced at his father who was wearing an expression Shikamaru had never seen before. Hearing the other girl come down with them, he glanced over at her and stopped.

She barely looked old enough to be at the Academy and she was holding a kunai like it was familiar to her. What drew his attention, though, was her eyes. At first, he thought it was a illusion by the moonlight, but they were white. He thought she might be blind, but there was no doubt she was staring at him as she smirked. "You're a Hyuga!"

"We are, but we don't like being called that," Hinata said. "It is nice to see you again, Shikamaru."

His head snapped back around to look at the older girl. "I've never seen you before."

She smiled, and even with his mind trying to figure it out, part of him thought she was pretty. "There is no reason you should remember me. I don't think I said a single word for the brief time I was at the Academy. I probably wouldn't have recognized you if I didn't know Kakashi was meeting your father."

Frowning, he could barely recall a vague memory of a quiet girl standing in front of the class introducing herself. She had been so quiet, he had barely heard her. He remembered much more clearly being told she had been killed and the class had a moment of silence. "What's going on?" He directed the question at his father.

His father stared at him for a moment before letting out a long sigh. "Shikamaru, I am participating in a plot to overthrow Danzo. The safest course of action for you right now is to leave for the village immediately and report my actions. No one will stop you. I promise you that." His father casually moved his hands, but Shikamaru could tell he was getting ready to use his Shadow Imitation Technique.

Shikamaru's head almost felt like it was spinning. Clandestine meetings, people returning from the dead and now treason, it was just too much. "Why?"

His father stared at him and said, "Because it's necessary and right."

Shikamaru respected his father and knew he didn't do anything unless he had a good reason. It was a decision made more on emotion than any fact. "I am not going to tell anyone, but why is it necessary and right?"

Shikaku ran a hand through his hair. "That's not a simple question to answer. There's no one reason, but a series of them. The fact that Danzo seized power never sat well with me, but once it was done, I didn't think it was best for the village for there to be a counter coup. Then, he started doing some other things that made me want to act against him, but I couldn't," he hesitated and then went on. "Sasuke Uchiha was one of the reasons he decided to overthrow our previous leader."

"Sasuke?" Shikamaru shook his head, not seeing the connection. "What does he have to do with anything?"

"The Uchiha clan had been plotting to take over the village themselves. The person who wiped them out was actually a double agent secretly working for the village. He did it on the condition that his brother, Sasuke, would be left alone. Danzo worried that if he ever found out the truth he could become a danger to the village. He had no desire to keep that end of the bargain and eliminated him."

Shikamaru was about to say that Sasuke died in an accident along with Choji when the realization hit him. "Choji was murdered."

"I think Dazon would consider it more along the lines of collateral damage. I wouldn't have thought there was anything suspicious except that I was put on the interception team. Apparently, Sasuke's brother had promised he would kill him if anything happened to his brother. If I could do it again, I would've let him have his vengeance."

There was something cold in the center of Shikamaru's chest. He had never gotten over Choji's death. The boy had been his first real friend and his sudden death had been a shock. He realized he was angry, but instead of throwing a fit of rage, his emotion seemed to drain away, leaving only thought behind. "You're alone with him. In your position, you could've taken him out easily. If you knew all this why haven't you?" Vaguely, he realized his voice even sounded weird to himself.

"Don't judge your father too harshly," Kakashi spoke up. "Another try, just that and the price his family paid was high. That's how Danzo works. A ninja will throw his life away for the village because he knows he's protecting his family. However, knowing your family will be attacked, well, let's just say everyone who is openly defying him like myself doesn't have family."

Shikamaru looked at the other man. "What would he do?"

The answer came from Hinata. "Do you remember Sakura? I think you had a few classes with her. She had pink hair. Do you remember?"

Shikamaru tried to think back. Now that he thought about it, quite a few kids disappeared. He hadn't really known any of them well and no one really talked about it. Now it seems strange he hadn't noticed more. "I think, I might."

"Well, her father tried to kill Danzo and she was sent to be with us. Did I get it all right, Kakashi?"

"Yes, you did," the man answered.

"I don't get it."Shikamaru said turning to face the girl. "Where were you?"

"We were being forced to pro-stit-ute ourselves." Hanabi answered.

He twisted his head around to look at the younger girl. She calmly met his gaze, there was something almost eerie about it. For some reason he got the feeling that she wanted him to believe what she had said. She was just so small.

"There are things worse than death. Danzo is using more profitable ones." His father said. "That is why I want to take him down, more so than any other reason."

His father started again after a moment, "His support isn't as wide spread as I'm sure you're thinking it is. Most people are too afraid to move against him because the price of failure is to high. In the end, though, he only has a small personally loyal to him. We take them out and he'll have nothing."

Shikamaru didn't look away from Hanabi as his father talked. When his father finished, he said, "What can I do to help?"


	23. Goodbye

Author's note: sorry for the long delay in my health isn't the best. I have a link to my profile to some more fan art.

* * *

Naruto bit his lip and stared at the three pieces of scrap wood dangling over the water. He glanced at the watch and slowly started counting the last few seconds off in his head. Seven, six, five, his fingertips started to dig into his palms in anticipation. Four, three, two, one, and as he reached zero, the three pieces of wood nearly burst into flames simultaneously. There was less than a second delay between the three ignitions and he jumped in the air before rounding on Jiraiya. "Did you see?"

His teacher smiled down at him. "Yeah, I think you got it."

Naruto spun back around just in time to see one of the fires burn through the rope and drop the piece of wood into the water. "These arson tags were a lot harder to get right than the exploding ones."

Jiraiya placed a hand on his shoulder, it still took an effort from Naruto to not flinch away. "This requires fine chakra control. I don't think you'll ever be too good at it, though, with the reserves you have that usually won't be a problem. Still, you put enough chakra in those things for them to go off fifteen minutes after you set them and at the same time, too. You've come a long way. You should be proud."

Naruto smiled, he was proud, or at least excited. In one month he had not only learned how to use various types of tags, but the Shadow Clone Technique as well. That was the one thing he had been expressly forbidden from telling Konohamaru how to do. He had only agreed to that after understanding how dangerous the technique was. It was still strange to think that he had all this chakra.

"We will be going tomorrow."

"What?" Naruto said, twisting his head around.

"We will have to head out tomorrow if we're going to make the rendezvous. I didn't want to tell you because I was afraid it would put pressure on yourself to get this right today. Of course, you don't have to come. It's still your call."

The thrill of success quickly transformed itself into fear, fear which he quickly stomped down. "I'm going."

"All right then." Jiraiya's tone was absent of either approval or disapproval. "Dinner will be ready soon. I'll make sure the fires go out, you had back."

Naruto nodded and turned to leave the clearing. When he was about ten steps into the woods, he paused and then jumped onto a lower branch before aiming for the next. This was a newly found ability. Channeling chakra into your muscles was a lot easier than into a tag. It meant he could run faster and jump higher than he ever could before. It was a combination of chakra and muscle which meant Konohamaru was behind him. Not that his friend was slacking off, it was just Jiraiya didn't spend much time teaching Konohamaru anything new, although he still gave him a clone in the morning. Naruto tried to teach him some things, but, for the first time, their physical differences were actually coming into effect.

It wasn't that Jiraiya didn't want Konohamaru to learn, he actually encouraged Naruto to teach him, but they were just things his smaller body couldn't do. Personally, Naruto couldn't wait until Konohamaru could race beside him in the trees. It was thrilling. He had taken Konohamaru for a few rides along with the others, but Naruto didn't think riding along was the same as doing it yourself.

He arrived at Inari's house quicker than if he had just ran through the woods. And without knocking, he opened the kitchen door. The scene that greeted him was a far cry from when he first arrived. Konohamaru sat the table along with Inari and Ranmaru. The quiet boy was more talkative now. He now sat in a chair with wheels that Inari's grandfather had made for him. Inari's grandfather sat at the far end of the table, reading the newspaper while his daughter stood over the stove. Then there was the strangest person. Raiga stood against the wall quietly talking to Tsunami.

Naruto didn't know what to make of the man. He was strange but kind to Ranmaru. For a while, he wondered if the man had been like those he had known in the past. Konohamaru had wondered that too, but Ranmaru said no. He guessed that made him a bit like Jiraiya. Still, his crush on Tsunami was weird. Apparently, at first, he had just dropped off Ranmaru when he went looking for a job for his cover, but his visits had increased in length. No one talked about it though.

"Naruto!" Konohamaru looked up form the game before hopping out of his chair to give Naruto a hug.

"Naruto," Tsunami said, turning and greeting him with a warm smile. "You're just in time for dinner. Raiga, will you be joining us?"

The man hesitated and then smiled, "I would like that."

By the time Jiraiya arrived there were no chairs left and he had to pull up a stool. It was a loud get-together with several conversations going at once, Naruto found he sort of enjoyed it. He liked hearing about Konohamaru and the others day while he gave abridged version of his own. He kept the detail of leaving tomorrow to himself, wanting to tell Konohamaru when they were alone.

"Mom," Inari spoke up towards the end of the meal. "Ranmaru says he doesn't have hot water at his place. Could he take a bath here tonight? I would help."

Naruto watched Tsunami quickly glance at Raiga and they somehow communicated without talking. "I guess that would be okay."

"Great, can we be excused?" Inari was grinning and Naruto thought something was up. When he glanced up at Konohamaru, he noticed the younger boy's sly smile and Naruto knew something was up.

"If you're both done," Tsunami said, obviously not suspecting anything.

"Great," Inari said, taking his plate off the table and grabbing Ranmaru's as he walked past before he put both in the sink. "I can carry him upstairs," he added as Raiga began to rise from the table. The man seemed to hesitate but Ranmaru seemed happy enough as he swung his arms around Inari's neck as the other grabbed behind his knees for support.

The two boys left without saying another word, leaving Naruto to wonder what was happening. "Are you done yet, Naruto?" Konohamaru asked.

He wasn't, but agreed because his curiosity was getting the better of him. Naruto and Konohamaru retreated to the guest room. It was the unofficial private time. They had never asked for it, but people seem to know not to interrupt them until they came back out. Naruto sat in a corner while Konohamaru slipped against his side and kissed him on the cheek before giggling. "I know a secret."

"Oh, what is it?" Naruto said, putting off his own secret.

"If I told you it wouldn't be a secret."

"You're really asking for it," Naruto said, pushing Konohamaru over and slipping his hands under the boy's shirt.

Konohamaru laughed as he first tried to escape to the right and then left only to be trapped by one hand or the other. "I give. I'll talk."

Naruto sat back up, grinning in satisfaction. "Talk."

Konohamaru sat up and gestured for Naruto to come close. Leaning forward, Konohamaru whispered into his ear. "Inari is going to try to suck on Ranmaru."

Naruto's stomach clenched. He had slowly begun to regret having messed around with Inari. Since coming back, the boy had not said anything and he had sort of began to hope that he had forgotten about it.

"What's wrong?"

Naruto's eyes had gone unfocused and it took him a second look at Konohamaru's face. He opened his mouth but didn't know how to say what he was feeling. "Why?"

"Why, what?" Konohamaru asked, not following.

"Why does Inari want to do it?"

Konohamaru cocked his head. "Because he likes him."

"Yeah, but... " Naruto trailed off unable to put his feelings into words.

Konohamaru leaned over and gave him a hug, and after a second Naruto hugged back. It was strange, but sometimes Konohamaru seemed different. Since remembering his mother and his other relatives Konohamaru seemed a bit more mature at times. Not that he talked about those memories too much. For the first time, Naruto really wondered about his own parents. Part of him wished he had his own memory blocked so he could remember, but when he remembered how rough it had been for Konohamaru, especially the first few days, maybe it was better he didn't.

Then he did have one horrifying thought. What if he didn't come back? He was going to leave with Jiraiya and the man had told him the dangers. Still, being told you might, though, it was one thing to be told he might die but thinking how it might affect someone else was different. His mind conjured an image of Konohamaru crying and having no one there to comfort him.

That thought alone almost made him reverse his decision. Protecting Konohamaru was a big part of him. Back at the House it had a sort of sense. The things he had to do didn't seem so bad as long as he was protecting Konohamaru. Still, the thought of the others still there, part of him wanted to run out and help them now. He wanted to protect them.

"Konohamaru, I have something I have to tell you."

"You're leaving tomorrow." Konohamaru lowered his head onto Naruto's chest, avoiding his eyes.

Naruto wrapped his arms around the small frame. "How did you know?"

"Ranmaru told us he was going. So that meant you were going."

He had not thought of that. Ranmaru was accompanying them along with Raiga, or the other way around. "Are you okay with it?"

"No," Konohamaru said before adding, "but I think you should go."

"Why do you say that?"

Konohamaru seemed to snuggle into him further. "Because, if I was there, I would want you to come for me."

"You're not afraid I won't come back?" Naruto asked, beginning to stroke his back.

"I am, but you're not my mom."

Naruto hugged him. "I'll come back for you. I will tell you all about it."

* * *

For Konohamaru, recovering his missing memories had been both good and bad. He liked that he could remember his parents and grandparents. The memories still felt fresh even though they had been years ago. He liked that the dark no longer terrified him, though, he still didn't like it. However, the memories had come with pain. Even though they happened years ago they felt recent. He could still remember his mother's arms around him and the smell of tobacco, which had always triggered a good feeling, could bring tears to his eyes.

On one level he really didn't understand how it had opened him up. Before, Naruto had been the only thing in his life, the thing he had to hold onto because no one else had ever been kind to him, at least not the way Naruto was. Now, he knew that wasn't true. His parents had loved him as had his grandparents. People could be nice like Jiraiya and Inari just because.

Unfortunately, he wasn't sure if he was nice. Adults were easy to figure out, but Inari, Ranmaru and especially Naruto were almost impossible. The more he would think about something, the more his mind would twist it around. Still, he knew Naruto wanted to go back to the House to help the people still there, and if he was still there he would want Naruto to rescue him. So he tried to stay strong for Naruto when he said he was leaving.

Konohamaru didn't sleep well that night and woke early the next day, to eat a dry breakfast with Naruto before they left. He tried to sound happy, or at least carefree, but his stomach was twisting into knots. Then he had to watch them go. Tsunami was standing next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. He knew he just had to hold on until they were out of sight.

Then Naruto stopped and started jogging back. It was almost too much for Konohamaru when Naruto also forwarded to a hug and leaned down and gave him a kiss that was usually for the bedroom. When Naruto broke the kiss he stayed so close to Konohamaru that their foreheads were touching.

"I love you Konohamaru, always."

Then Naruto was running back to Jiraiya. Konohamaru was crying, but he was happy and that was confusing. Before Naruto was out of sight, he shouted. "Naruto, kick butt!"

* * *

Naruto began to envy Ranmaru on the second day of their journey. Jiraiya and he had met up with Raiga and Ranmaru on the other side of the completed bridge. Instead of sticking to the roads they had immediately gone into the woods and had been traveling among the trees since. Naruto had thought he had become adept at traveling along the trees, but he had started to envy the younger boy who was being carried. Not that he was going to complain. He was determined not to show any weakness. It wasn't the actual running or jumping that was tiring the blonde, but picking out the next spot to land on was. Jiraiya had told him with time it would just be natural like walking, but he wasn't there yet.

Then with no warning, Jiraiya stopped, bringing everyone else up short. Naruto glanced around, but as far as he could tell they were in the middle of nowhere.

"We're here. Set up the tent. It looks like we're early."

"How can you tell? I didn't see anything." Naruto asked looking around again for some sort of sign.

Jiraiya dropped down from the trees and glanced back at him. "That's because I didn't tell you what to look for. Are you a bit nervous, Naruto?"

He smiled and scratched behind his head nervously. "Maybe."

Dropping down, Naruto threw himself into his work trying to look busy. Over the next several hours people seemed to drift in either small groups or alone. He didn't recognize any of them, but Jiraiya greeted them all by name. After about 10 people, Naruto was becoming uncomfortable with all the strangers around. It was one thing being in a crowd, but this was a group.

Retreating into the tent, he passed the rest of the day playing card games with Ranmaru. He could hear other people arriving and wondered if Hinata and Hanabi would show up. Jiraiya had really only given details about what he was expected to do. Something about compartmentalized for the security of the operation. Naruto understood it was basically a fancy way of saying, if he didn't know he couldn't tell anyone. Still, he wanted to see those two again just to make sure they were okay.

Almost as soon as he had that thought, a voice called through the tent. "Naruto?"

The voice sounded a little different, but it was familiar enough that Naruto dropped his cards and lunged towards the tent flap. "Hinata!" Pushing the tent flap back he added, "Hanabi."

The two girls had changed since he had last seen them. Hanabi could now almost pass as a boy with her short hair and baggy clothing. There was no way of hiding Hinata's feminine features, but her hair was dyed blonde. Both of their milky white skins had been tanned by the sun.

"You've changed."

Hanabi reached into a pocket and produced a pair of sunglasses and put them on. "Yeah, they are disguises. They don't want anyone to recognize us."

Naruto wondered why he had not been asked to do anything like that before remembering their eyes. He was so used to seeing them he had really forgotten how distinctive they were. "Well, come on in."

"Who are you?" Ranmaru asked from behind Naruto.

"You're not Konohamaru." Hanabi said accusingly.

Naruto winced at her tone. "This is Ranmaru. He's a friend and apparently he has something to do with the plan, but I'm not sure what exactly."

"Is Konohamaru okay?" Hinata said, sounding genuinely concerned.

"Yeah, he's great. I just, well, we weren't supposed to escape like you. I didn't want him coming because... " he trailed off, feeling everyone staring at him.

Hinata smiled slowly. "Always looking out for him."

Naruto's face fell like it was on fire as he examined the dirt, wishing he was alone. Then Jiraiya's voice boomed unnaturally loud. "Gather around."

"The meeting's starting," Naruto repeated, glad for the distraction.

The four of them moved to join the rest of the group with Naruto carrying Ranmaru. They hung out on the outer edges of the group with none of them really wanting any attention. Naruto counted 30 people. Well, 34 counting the four of them. He didn't know if that was a lot or not.

"All right, I just want to make it official," Jiraiya began. "Is there anyone who wishes to speak against the distraction?"

No one spoke up, but Naruto leaned towards the two girls. "Are either of you going on the raid of the House?"

"No," Hinata replied without looking at him. "Something about not moving too many people around. Tell everyone I said Hi."

"All right," Jiraiya continued. "Then is there any questions about the general attack? Is everyone confident they understand their assignments?"

"Why is there no withdraw signal?" The question had come from Tsunade.

Jiraiya met her gaze and even Naruto felt like there was something more than just a questionnaire.

"Because, this is all or nothing, if you retreat, you retreat on your own prerogative."

There was a moment of silence following that statement and then an eerie laugh came from the woods surrounding them.

"Jiraiya, you're so dramatic. You have not changed since you were a kid."

Every adult went for their weapons as they spun to face the woods, but the voice seemed to be coming from everywhere as if the wind was carrying it around them. "Orochimaru," Jiraiya's voice was harsh; it did not sound like the man Naruto knew. "Where are you?"

"Kakashi, he's in the tree behind you." Hinata called out in a strong firm voice.

Naruto turned, shocked to hear such a tone from the ordinarily quiet girl and then stunned as he saw veins bulging around her eyes. Before he could say anything, though, there was a scream of pure fury. Turning towards the sound, he saw a woman in a trench coat leap into the trees at a sickly pale man and plunge a kunai into his stomach. Instead of a scream, though, the body seemed to disappear in a pile of dirt and Naruto recognized him as a clone.

"Is that any way to treat your old teacher, especially when he comes offering an alliance?"


	24. Burning Down the House

Fear shot up Jiraiya's spine. It was not fear for himself but for the group. He was convinced he could fight his old friend to a standstill at the least, but there were too many people here that would be so much like annoying flies to his old teammate. Then Orochimaru offered an alliance and Jiraiya almost laughed.

"Orochimaru, you're a snake in the grass. Why would anyone trust anything you say?"

His former friend's annoying laugh echoed. "Jiraiya, I have never lied to you. There have been times when I have not told you things, but I have never lied. And now I tell you, joining forces will be mutually beneficial for both of us."

There were few words that could hurt Jiraiya's pride, but reminding him that it had been his own willful blindness that made him overlook much of Orochimaru's behavior, especially towards the end, was a memory that cut deep. As morbid as the thought was, Orochimaru had only ever lied to him by omission. He suspected that if he had confronted his friend before leaving the village the man would've been equally truthful with him. Jiraiya suspected that, in his own twisted way, Orochimaru would've enjoyed it.

"All right, we'll meet. Two hundred yards to the east, I'm coming alone." He pinned Anko, who was still standing on the tree, with his gaze.

"Oh, do let Tsunade join us. The team hasn't been together in so long."

Jiraiya glanced over at Tsunade who looked away. "That's up to her."

No answer came, and after a moment, Jiraiya turned towards the east and started walking joined by Tsunade. After a hundred yards, Jiraiya looked back and could not see anyone from the clearing. He thought about listening to see if a third-party was secretly following them but that would've done little good.

When they came to a stop neither of them spoke, even as the ground slowly began to bulge outwards. At about waist height they could begin to make out the features of a man, but not until at its full height did it look like Orochimaru.

"You were always one for the dramatics." Tsunade said in a disapproving tone.

"I am not the only one of us you could level that accusation at."

Orochimaru's smile made Jiraiya want to hit him. It wasn't because it was creepy but simply because it had not changed much since their first meeting. "What are you offering?" He cut right to the point.

"Well, I'm sure you're aware that Danzo is expecting something."

"That's what you're offering?" Jiraiya said dismissively. "Hosting the final is a major pain. Over the course of a few days there will be more visitors to the village than they would ordinarily see in a month. It's the perfect opportunity to slip some people in and that's one reason I almost chose not to do it."

"Yes, and I'm sure you're aware that your acquisition of two of the Hyuga clan also has not escaped his notice." Orochimaru shot back.

"Of course," Jiraiya answered. He had always known that Hinata and Hanabi were serving as a red herring. The Hyuga clan was now a strong supporter of Danzo, but those who were of fighting age still could be neutralized by the two young girls.

"And that he has begun to suspect Shikaku as your spy? At least Danzo would if my man wasn't running interference."

Jiraiya kept his facial expression neutral. He found it hard to believe that Orochimaru was working with Danzo, and if he was working as an agent this would be a terrible approach. "Your man is that well-placed?"

"He is that unnoticeable." Orochimaru replied.

"This is a waste of time. He has not offered us anything." Tsunade said.

"So hasty," Orochimaru hissed. "I'm offering his defense plan against your inevitable attack. Not the one that you know, but the one he has only shared with his diehard loyalists. He is fully aware that most of the village won't take sides when you make your push."

"And what is your price for this information?" Jiraiya asked, honestly curious.

Orochimaru held out his hands to either side as if it was almost not worth mentioning. "I ran some experiments on Danzo several years back. I'm curious to see how they have taken. You know how I am with research." With his lips pressing against each other, Jiraiya had the eerie impression that Orochimaru was now more snake than man. "You can even keep his head and all the secrets it has."

An experiment, Jiraiya thought. Yes, he could see his old friend siding with them for that purpose alone. "What type of experiments? We will be fighting him and I don't want any nasty surprises."

"So, we are in agreement? The three Sannin shall once again fight on the same side for one final battle."

"Jiraiya, we can't trust him. He's an anarchist at heart. If the political situation of our village is what you say it is, he could grab the body soon enough. He could get what he wants then with a lot less fuss."

For the first time Orochimaru turned his full attention on Tsunade and gave her a pitiful look. "If Danzo is removed or not, it will not stop the war on the horizon. If it's not the villages attacking, it will be my old friends. Don't you agree, Jiraiya?"

"I have not forgotten the Akatsuki," Jiraiya answered. He didn't add that he had redirected many of his resources over the last couple of years. "I'll accept your offer Orochimaru. However, you cannot summon Manda. I don't want that thing loose in the village. In return, you can have Danzo's body." Jiraiya didn't add that he didn't intend for there to be a body to hand over.

* * *

Naruto was sort of used to not knowing what was going on. Usually he had a general idea, but he wasn't a detail kind of person. He knew something was up and that something was bad. The creepy voice had startled him, but he didn't understand the fear that had spread through the group. When Jiraiya had gone off for a meeting with the voice he had not known what to do. When he had come back there had been more talking and some arguing. It was all over his head and he just wanted to get going to the House.

When the meeting had broken up, he had a sudden fear that something had changed and that they would not be going to the House. That fear was quickly put to rest when Jiraiya summoned three large toads and told him to get on. There would be ten of them attacking the House, and besides Jiraiya, the only one he recognize was that guy with the weird eyes who could create buildings from the ground. He hoped it would be enough.

Nothing looked familiar from the back of a jumping toad, but Jiraiya seemed to know where he was going. They stopped as the sun had just finished setting. At first Naruto wasn't sure if they were breaking for the night or what. He looked up at Jiraiya, and in the sparse light, the man's face looked like it was carved from stone.

"Naruto," Jiraiya spoke, his voice as hard as his face. "Our destination is about a half a mile straight ahead. This is your last opportunity to back out. If you don't want to do this it's all right."

"I want to." Naruto answered instantly.

"Tell me the plan. What is going to happen?"

For a split-second, Naruto was silent. It felt like a brick was lodged in his stomach. "I'm too go on ahead. My part of the mission is to break in through a window and make my way to the dorm in the attic. I'll explain what's happening to anyone there, keep them calm. If I'm seen by a guard, I'm supposed to go quietly and wait to be rescued."

"The rest of you will take out anyone in the outlying buildings before moving on to the House itself. The nine of you will secure the ground floor where the bulk of the clients will be. There might be some fighting and no matter what I hear I have to keep everyone in the dorm. You will work your way up floor by floor until you reach the attic."

"Once the building is secure, we gather the clients on the ground floor and everyone else gathers in the dorm. I explain what's happening again and then they're reverse summoned to where the toads are from for their safety. The clients are told they are to be ransomed and we'll have them leave the building one by one. You kill them, then we burn down the House and we leave."

At some point during his recitation Naruto had closed his eyes to remember better. Not all of his personal time with Jiraiya had been physical or spiritual training. He had to remember more details about the House than he thought he had known in the first place. When he had first announced that he wanted to go on the mission, Jiraiya had bluntly explained what he intended to do to the clients. Back then it had all been in theory, but right now it was real.

It was strange. He had feared the clients, he had hated them, a few he had almost liked and now he wasn't feeling anything. "Mitate doesn't die." Naruto had not thought before he spoke. Speaking the medic-nin's name caused a rush of good memories. It wasn't just the fact that he had been in charge of keeping everyone healthy. The man had just been there when anyone needed him.

"No guarantees, but we will try our best."

Naruto nodded and slid down the side of the toad. Now at ground-level, he could see some lights in the distance. Without another word, he started to run forward.

It felt like he covered the distance in a heartbeat. He was at the wall that surrounded the House and realized it didn't look familiar. The side that faced the House was kept clean, but this side that no one ever saw was covered in moss. He only vaguely remembered leaving this place with Konohamaru and at that time he had not looked back.

Naruto counted to twenty, straining his ears to hear anything from the other side of the wall. Besides the noisy crickets, he couldn't hear anything. Channeling chakra to his legs, he jumped on top of the wall, perching like a bird for a second before hopping down and rolling in the grass. Staying low, he crept along the building, going under several windows. He knew exactly which window he wanted to use and it wasn't on this side.

Jiraiya had taught him several ways he could peek around a corner and he used the simplest. Keeping his head so low that the grass brushed up against is hair, Naruto peeked around the corner. He wasn't expecting to see anyone and he wasn't surprised. Unfortunately, the window he was going to use wasn't open.

The blonde approached cautiously, peering into the window at an oblique angle, trying to see inside. His luck held as the room appeared to be empty. Drawing a kunai, he used it to pry the window open. He had to dig into the wood a little but he was in.

Naruto crawled into a very familiar room. It was where they prepared before going on stage. It seemed smaller than how he remembered it. The door to the staircase had not changed. It even squeaked a little like he remembered. He made his way up the narrow staircase hyper alert.

Thousands of memories overlapped each other. Past the second-floor, it's entrance door tightly shut. When he reached the third floor, he paused. There was a lot of noise coming from the door, but that wasn't his destination. Then he was at the top and he hesitated before pushing on into the room he had shared with others for the good portion of his time at the House.

At this time of day the dorm room should be at least partially full. It was still early work wise, but the room was eerily silent. The curtains that could provide a little privacy were all open, revealing the beds to be empty. There was not a single person, and, for a minute, Naruto was at a complete loss of what to do. The bathroom door then opened and Sakura walked in. She took several steps before pausing and looking over at him, her face going slack.

Naruto rarely thought ahead but this was something he had prepared for. He wanted to say he was a ninja now. He wanted to say how he planned to take them away from here so they could find something better. He wanted to tell them how nice it could be and how great it was to not have to do those things. In his head, it all made sense, but as he stared at Sakura, it vanished.

Sakura recovered first. She ran over to Naruto, throwing her arms around him and squeezing tight.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say all that stuff. I didn't want you to run away. I knew you weren't dead."

For a moment, Naruto had no idea what she was talking about it. He had no idea what stuff she was referring to and he had even less of an idea of why she thought he might be dead. Then a more pressing concern entered Naruto's mind.

"Sakura," Naruto hissed out, "I need to breathe."

Sakura broke the embrace immediately and took a step back. "Sorry."

She used her towel to wipe away a tear, flashing Naruto a little. His face warmed a bit and caught by surprise. He had seen a lot more than that, but he wasn't used to it anymore. "Why did you think I was dead?"

Sakura smiled. "When you first ran away with Konohamaru, no one knew what was going on. Then we were told you ran away. It kind of excited everyone and I think some people ware thinking of doing the same. Then the next day they said they found both of you dead. Some people believed it and others didn't. I didn't, but no one was talking about running away after that."

Naruto nodded. He guessed that made a sort of sense. "Well, I'm not dead and neither is Konohamaru. He is safe and with people I trust." Naruto's own words surprised him for a second, but he shrugged off. "Where is everyone?"

Sakura shrugged. "In a few days we are expecting a lot of high paying clients. We're going all out for them. New shows, new costumes and, well, everything else. We kind of took over the third floor as a workshop. We still have a few clients, though, and I have a show I have to put on."

She began to turn around and Naruto realized she really didn't understand what was going on. He put a hand on her shoulder. "Sakura, you don't have to." She looked at him uncomprehendingly. "I'm a ninja. Someone trained me to be one. He is here with some friends. We want to take you away from here. All of you."

* * *

There comes a time when every teacher has to let their student choose their course. Jiraiya knew that the ninja profession was no different. Train someone all you want, but at one point they had to decide to use that training. Sometimes it was a fight or flee situation and sometimes it was simply moving forward.

It was a hard decision to watch. Ninja killed and died. The good ones did it for the sake of others and the bad ones for themselves. For Jiraiya, the line was that simple. As he watched Naruto disappear into the woods, he felt pride. Naruto had many faults, but he had a heart. Tonight would not be about revenge for Naruto, but simply helping out his friends. He had chose responsibility when he could've walked away and Jiraiya would not have faulted him if he had. He was proud of him, he had been right to train him.

After a moment, he gestured for the others to follow him as he dismounted from his toad. "You know what to do."

In the weeks leading up to tonight, Jiraiya had rung Naruto for every piece of inside information that he had. It painted a rather depressing picture. He had known that the guards were fake ninjas, but the overall lack of security was depressing. The guards were not there to keep the children in line, but simply to keep clients from exceeding the boundaries. They didn't even bother to lock the windows. The children were kept there because they didn't know anything else. Naruto's initial escape had been an act of desperation.

The House, as Naruto always called it, was more than just one building. There was another building across the street where the guards stayed as well as the guests that couldn't afford a room at the House. It was depressingly easy to take over.

One genjutsu and everyone was out. The ninjas proceeded through the building, quietly doing their work. Where the skull and spinal cord met was a small spot that once severed would instantly kill. It was hard work, even for a ninja like Jiraiya. Sometimes nasty work needed to be done, though. Remembering what these people were either here to do or were employed to allow happen helped a little.

Then he came to one room whose door was locked. With no finesse, he forced it open only to see a man sitting at a desk reading. They stared at each other for a second before Jiraiya spoke up. "What's your name?"

"Mitate," the man said. "Are you going to take them all this time?"

"Yes, but what about you?"

The man shrugged. "I'm tired. Just tell me they are going to be okay."

"We've made arrangements. We're getting the kids out of here. I can't promise the same for everyone else."

"Good." The man said sounding very tired.

"You're not concerned about yourself?" Jiraiya asked genuinely curious.

"I'm a coward. A coward's fate is never in their hands."

Jiraiya actually cracked a smile. "True. However, Naruto spoke highly of you. You were the only adult he felt was on their side when they were here. For that, you get to live." He considered the man for a moment and wondered if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Mitate looked like he'd just been released from a very long mission. "Tell me about the layout of the main floor." Naruto had told him about the House as best as he could, but this guy was supposed to be a professional.

"The main floor should be pretty empty. Most clients who have the money are heading to watch the final exams."

"All right, what else?"

* * *

It was strange, Naruto thought. An hour ago, he had brought everyone upstairs to the dorm and began to explain where he had been, what he had been doing and what was going to happen. He had not even heard the others entrance downstairs. He had barely heard Jiraiya climbing the stairs to tell him that the building was secure.

Up until that point everything was going according to plan, but when he started to explain that they would all be traveling to a place called Mount Myoboku and they were going to be looked after by some toads, things went downhill. Mitate had been there, though, he had helped. Naruto had forgotten that summoning and talking animals had been unbelievable to him less than a year ago.

They were all gone now. For the first time that he could remember the House was silent. It was such a strange feeling. He knew the clients had been told they were being kidnapped and would be held for ransom. They had been let out one by one and dispatched. Right now they were lining the bodies up along the road. He wasn't sure how he felt about that. There was always a part of him that hated the people that came here, but now, well, he didn't know.

Naruto pushed those feelings down for now and just looked around the main floor. He wondered how many hours he had spent on stage and how many he spent waiting tables. Those weren't really happy memories though. At best, they weren't bad, but he did remember one time when the floors had been refinished and they were closed. They had all taken turns running and sliding across the floor. That was a happy memory.

Kaede had died somewhere down here. He had not asked Jiraiya about that. When he had lived here the woman had been all-powerful, a figure almost larger-than-life. The fact she had died so quietly made her seem so small. She had probably been drunk, he had sort of noticed that about her over the years. She drank a lot.

The door opened behind him and he turned to see Jiraiya step inside. The older man stood there for a minute before asking, "You okay?"

Naruto nodded.

"If you want, you can still back out. I can get Shima here in a second."

Naruto shook his head. "This is a two-part mission. Save my friends and then make sure it never happens again."

Jiraiya laughed, but it was forced. "I guess that is the way you would see it. Well, there's one thing left to do before we can call part one complete. Burn this place down. You want the honers, or should I?"

Naruto's last glimpse of the House was as he glanced back through the woods. The flames had just busted out one window and were starting to lick upwards, and to that he smiled.


	25. Of Tyrants and Traitors

Authors note: Thanks for reading.

* * *

Naruto swung his legs back and forth as he dangled them over the edge of the cart. He bounced along the road; his stomach feeling like it was tied in knots and his palms felt sweaty. He glanced over at Ranmaru who was sitting on the other end of the cart. The younger boy seemed enraptured by watching the birds flit from tree to tree. As Naruto watched, Ranmaru reached his small hand into a bag and pulled out some breadcrumbs and scattered them over the side. The birds that had been following them fluttered down from the branches.

Naruto try to split his attention between the birds and Ranmaru, whose expression was completely content. The birds quickly disappeared as they made a slight turn in the road, but the boy's eyes seemed to follow them still, as if he could see them. Naruto wondered if maybe the boy could. He had some special eye power, or at least that was what Jiraiya had told him.

Naruto wondered if the boy was as nervous as he was or if he was really that calm. He had thought his mission to the House would have changed him somehow, but right now he was nervous.

"We're coming up on the gate, stay calm." Jiraiya said from where he sat, steering the cart.

Naruto glanced over his shoulder and saw the defensive wall. The sight vaguely triggered a memory, but it was like seeing a familiar building, no emotion attached to it.

"This is going to be fun," Raiga muttered from where he sat next to Jiraiya.

"Minimum collateral damage," Jiraiya said. "This is your new home, remember?"

The man muttered a response and Naruto glanced over at Ranmaru, who smiled back. He was suddenly glad that his part of the mission would take him to the other end of the village than theirs would.

Reviewing their cover story one more time, Naruto tried to look innocent as they came to a stop at a check point.

"Your papers," a guard said to Jiraiya.

"Right here," Jiraiya said. "It's an assorted cargo, general shop stuff. It's going to three shops."

Naruto turned his head to watch the two talk and saw a guard only a little older than himself making her way to the back of the cart, looking over the cargo before glancing up at him. The teenage girl smiled. "Looks like you take after your father."

"What?" Naruto said before he caught himself. That was one of the questions he was supposed to be prepared for.

"Your hair," she pulled out her own brown hair. "Blonde, you don't see that too often, especially around here. I would say there are three or four in the entire village."

"Oh, yeah." Jiraiya had bleached his hair blonde so they would look like they had a family resemblance. It was supposed to be less suspicious.

"Now, your hair, I would say that's almost lavender." She said addressing Ranmaru. "You know they say unusual hair colors only come around when the family has a long history of manipulating chakra. Are you a little ninja?"

The tone was playful, but it sent a shiver up Naruto's spine. "We sort of adopted him. His home burned down and no one in the village wanted to take care of him." He spoke the lie easily enough, Jiraiya had told him it wasn't that uncommon of an occurrence.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"It was a long time ago. He doesn't even remember." Naruto said a little too eagerly before wondering if he was being too eager. Nervous people talk too much, or at least that was what he was told.

The girl nodded before asking. "Is that a wheelchair?"

Naruto glanced behind himself to make sure the chair was still secure. "Yeah, it's his."

"Oh, you can't walk? I'm sorry to hear that. I guess…" She trailed off. "It looks handcrafted, where did you get it?"

"Wave Country," Naruto supplied, glad they he actually remembered this time.

"I've never been there, but I hear its pretty poor. What did you have to trade there for this?"

"We took it in a partial trade for larger cargo. They couldn't pay completely." Naruto realized he was being redone and quickly shut up.

The girl's expression didn't change, but Naruto's danger sense was going off. From practice, he could tell when he was losing someone. It was unconscious, some signal in the way percent help themselves. He had always been able to tell when he was losing a client, only here he didn't know how to recover. He was even sure what he had done wrong.

"You're very pretty." Ranmaru said all of the sudden.

Her eyes flickered to the younger boy and she smiled. "Thank you."

Ranmaru smiled and shrugged a little as if he was embarrassed. "You're like those pretty birds we saw on our way here."

"Do you mean brambling? The little brown birds, you see them all the time."

"Maybe," Ranmaru said smiling.

A male voice spoke from the head of the cart, "Kiku, we're going to let them pass."

Kiku blinked for a second, glanced back at Naruto and said, "Yes sir."

The cart started to move and Naruto watched as Kiku became smaller until she started to wave at them. He waved back until they turned the corner. Then he glanced at Ranmaru who was just dropping his arm. The boy smiled at him and he wondered if there was any chance the kid had not done all that on purpose. One thing was for sure, though, Inari didn't talk him into anything he didn't want to do.

They moved up and down different streets until Jiraiya told Naruto to get some food. That was the code for him to get going and he hopped off the cart and didn't look back. His orders were simple, but he didn't have much time. The attack was supposed to happen at noon and the sun was getting close to its zenith.

He followed the road, walking towards the carved faces on the mountain. The buildings fell away and he began to pass what he had been told would be training grounds. To Naruto, they didn't look that different than regular fields except for the occasional post or two. Then he reached his destination. It was a series of semi-constructed buildings that look like they were about to collapse. Jiraiya said they were an aborted building project from back when he had been his age.

He picked one of the more complete buildings that still didn't have any windows and climbed inside. Leaning against the wall, he picked up his foot and peeled the false bottom off. There were several incinerate tags under each sole and he started to place them around while charging them with chakra. He placed a few of the tags on the other buildings and on the frames before heading back to the road and away from the village. He watched his shadow, and when it was directly under him, he turned around and waited. Within a few minutes he could see smoke rising from where the abandoned buildings had been.

He ran a little further down the road, not really sure what he should do. His part of the mission was done and now he was just supposed to sit and wait. For the first time, he glanced up at the monument, particularly the last face. So, that was Danzo? He looked old.

* * *

Shikamaru watched the second match of the finals, but he was paying no attention to it. His initial intention was to fail the first exam, but it just proved to be too easy. The second stage was more challenging and he found it impossible to let down his teammates. However, once he was given the option of bowing out, he took it, saying he just didn't feel ready for that responsibility. Both of his teammates had gone on and were supposed to have a match today.

Now, he wished he had. The arena was where the assassination was supposed to take place, or at least the initial try. In the build up to it, he had almost backed out several times, but remembering Choji was enough to stiffen his resolve.

Leaning back, he tried to calculate the size of the shadow he had access to. There was more than enough to reach his three targets, but he stuck his foot out in the sun, adding just that much more of the shadow he could use. Not for the first time, his eyes wandered over to his father and both of his old friends. The three of them were fairly famous and with one of them having their daughter compete it probably didn't seem suspicious. Once Shikamaru had started to think about it, this really was the perfect opportunity. The Hokage was rarely seen, but he had to attend this event.

In the distance, he heard the hollow sound of the fire bell going off. That was the signal. His fingers moved and his shadow stretched along the arena wall before bursting out in the open area where the Hokage sat flanked by his bodyguards. His shadow touched one, two and three of them as his father and friends made their move.

In theory, Shikamaru knew his father was a good fighter, but he had never seen him in a serious fight before. When the men were three steps away, Shikamaru had to remove his shadow. The fight that followed was furious, quick and one-sided. The bodyguards and Hokage fell before Shikamaru was even halfway there.

It was only then that the crowd started to react. The various bodyguards in the audience moved to protect primaries as the civilians and lower level ninjas milled around seemingly confused. Three well-known ninjas had just killed the leader of their village and people were confused.

Shikamaru finally broke free of the crowds and rushed to join his father. The three men were just standing there over the bodies. "You got him."

"No," his father said glancing over at him. "He used a body double. It's not unexpected. I don't know how he did it though. He gave that opening speech."

Choza kicked the body of the doppelganger before glancing into the distance. "It's not going to save him. Here come our reinforcements."

Shikamaru followed his gaze just in time to see the defensive wall covered in a thick mist.

"Shikamaru," his father spoke. "I want you to head to the training fields. There may be some Genin out there and they may go to the shelters. Tell them not to. In fact, tell everyone you see not to. Don't ask why."

* * *

Jiraiya had nothing against plans, but usually the longer they went off without a problem the more likely you were stepping into a trap. After letting Naruto off, Jiraiya had wandered the streets with the cart a little while longer until he had parked it. He was pretty sure no one had paid them any special attention since entering the village.

The plan had built-in redundancies, of course. If Naruto failed to start a fire in time Jiraiya would sound the alarm himself. However, he preferred there to be actual smoke. He didn't want people to panic and if the smoke was coming from outside of the village, most people would think training accident. With what Orochimaru had told him, he didn't want people moving to the shelters either.

Danzo's initial intention was to use the civilians as a shield. Jiraiya hated to admit it but if it wasn't for Orochimaru and his intelligence they would be in a bad spot right now. The fire would only work as a distraction for a few minutes. The citizens would've rushed to the shelters when the real attack began, but now he had been able to reposition some of his forces to dissuade them from heading to the shelters.

Overall, the plan really hadn't changed. There was the fire that would be the signal for the initial assassination attempt. Presumably, that would fail but send Danzo scurrying. A few rebels had slipped into the village under the cover of the confusion of the exam to run damage control as the bulk of the forces would overtake the wall under the cover of mist provided by Raiga and Ranmaru.

The mist brought out the Hyuga, which were being neutralized painfully, but not lethally by Hinata and Hanabi. That had caused the squads to pull back, and so far none have tried to venture into the mist after the first attempt. The village's defensive plan had not changed.

If a breach couldn't be sealed up initially the standard plan was to hold back and wait. It was a simple tactic. An enemy force would be at its strongest when it made its initial breach. As the attacking force began to spread out through the village, it would become more dispersed and more susceptible to an organized counterattack. Buildings would be damaged, but, in theory, the civilians would be evacuated. However, with them being directed away from the shelters, confusion would rain and he was just about to make that worse.

Biting his thumb he activated his radio and spoke. "Step three."

Slapping his hand down against the ground, he summoned Gamabunta. He could only imagine the sight, a giant toad emerging from the mist with him riding on top of his head. Katsuyu, the famous slug summon was not more than a stone's throw away with Tsunade similarly perched.

Summoning chakra to his vocal cords, Jiraiya spoke as if he had a loudspeaker. "We are here to take the head of Danzo. He is a usurper, a murderer, unworthy of the title he has claimed for himself. He now cowers in the shelter meant for our civilians. If you stand with them attack us now or else let us pass."

Gamabunta stepped forward slowly and no one moved to stop him. Danzo's hard-core members would be with him and the fighting members of the Hyuga clan would still be recovering. Still, he half expected someone to attack him as they slowly marched through the village. Was everyone just stunned or had Danzo truly alienated everyone. Jiraiya hoped that was the case. He loved this village.

* * *

Shikamaru was only half sure that his father's instructions were actually important. He knew better than to question, there would be time for that later. He had directed a few people away from the shelters. In an emergency, the civilians were used to taking orders from anyone with a forehead protector, even if they didn't make much sense.

The smoke worried him a little. Like everyone else in the village, he had a healthy fear of fire. Fortunately, it was obvious it was nowhere near the village, and once the giant toad emerged from that mist, no one seemed to move to put it out or move at all. It was strange just see people standing in the streets. Then again, today wasn't a normal day.

Leaving the village, he stayed on the road, scanning the training fields for anyone. He didn't see anyone. He paused briefly at the smoldering ruins which he regretted seeing. On rainy training days, Genin teams often took shelter in those buildings. Shikamaru continued down the road and was about to give up when he finally saw someone staring up at the Hokage monument.

"Hey! Don't go to the shelter."

The blonde boy turned towards him. "I wasn't going to."

Shikamaru came to a stop about 10 paces away and stared at the boy. He didn't recognize him, not that he knew everyone in the village. Still, this kid looked his age or maybe a bit younger. "Are you in the Academy?"

The boy hesitated before answering. "No."

"The training fields are off-limits to anyone who is not either in the academy or a ninja. So, what are you doing here?" Shikamaru had a sudden suspicion but it seemed unlikely.

"Sorry, I didn't know. I was just... I'm not from this village."

"I'm guessing you're a friend of Hinata and Hanabi?" The boy startled and Shikamaru raised his hands, trying to seem unthreatening. "I'm on their side. I was supposed to tell anyone I saw not to go to the shelters. Not sure why."

"It's that guy's fallback position." The blonde haired kid nodded to the monument and the one eyed man on it.

Shikamaru nodded. "Well, I guess we sit the rest of this out."

* * *

Gamabunta moved through the village, careful not to damage any buildings. All things considered, Jiraiya thought, things were going as well as they could. Danzo had fallen back to the shelters, but as they were forewarned, they had warned people away from the shelters. The man was now in a hole with, hopefully, no human shields, at least for now. As for everyone else in the village, they seemed to be sitting this out.

That had been the fatal flaw in their plan the first time. They had tried to do it in secret and even those who would've been happy to see Danzo gone had come to support him out of instinct. In a way, it was funny. Ninjas were supposedly the experts at doing the unexpected, but even they could get trapped in their own thoughts.

Gamabunta came to a stop and Jiraiya hopped down to the entrance of one of the shelters. There was a wooden cage in front of it now, courtesy of Yamato, who stood off to the side. Strangely, there was a Genin of 13 or 14 wrapped up in a tree. Jiraiya looked at him for a minute before addressing Yamato. "Trouble?"

The man glanced over his shoulder at the Genin and shrugged. "Not really. Danzo and most of his men are inside. As far as I know, no civilians are inside, but I can't say for certain."

"Then let's seal it up and be done with it," Tsunade said, coming to stand next to him.

Jiraiya smiled. "I like the idea, but it won't work."

The shelters were the last line of defense. The entrances could be caved in by a guard if enemy made it that far and there was enough supplies to keep the villagers alive inside for three weeks if it was at its capacity. There were no other entrances, but with a little work, there were several spots you could break through and escape.

"We have to go in." Orochimaru said, slithering up to the two of them, his voice slightly muffled by his mask. "A wounded animal can be twice as dangerous."

"Well, why don't you take a stroll inside and trigger the avalanche?" Tsunade said.

Jiraiya could tell Orochimaru was smiling under his mask even as a snake slowly start to slither out from his sleeve.

"He's quite venomous. One of those types that can kill you before you even notice the bite. That should take care of the avalanche." Orochimaru supplied.

Jiraiya said nothing for a minute, and then, with a flick of his wrist, he threw a kunai that struck the snake in the head, pinning it to the ground.

"We can't be sure no civilians got in. Sending your snakes in is too risky." Then he smiled, "We're using my plan."

From the beginning, Jiraiya had assumed that Orochimaru was holding something back. So, he had done the same thing although that had meant keeping his allies in the dark. Explaining Sage Mode and what he intended to do with it only took about a minute. Preparations to use the Demonic Illusion: Toad Confrontation Chant took a little longer. The plan was simple, he would start his attack and they would follow behind him, eliminating any enemies in their wake.

* * *

Naruto decided he liked Shikamaru. The boy seemed pretty laid back. Although, maybe he just felt that way because everything was feeling a bit strange now. Where they stood, they could see a giant toad and a slug, which was not normal. The fog was still there, but as far as either could tell, there wasn't any fighting. It was very rather quiet. Neither of them knew what to do so they just started talking.

"You think it's over and they just forgot to tell us?" Naruto asked when there came a pause in their conversation.

"I don't think that's the situation."Shikamaru hesitated for a second before he ventured, "Was there a withdraw signal? Perhaps you-we have lost?"

Naruto shook his head. "The fog's still there, and besides the... " he hesitated trying to remember the word. "Sannin are here." Naruto bit his lip and looked at the fog, thinking about Ranmaru and what he was doing there. It made him feel a little guilty just standing around.

"So, the shadow thing, how does it work?" Naruto asked, trying to get his mind off the subject.

Shikamaru let out a sigh. "It's a clan secret, but I can manipulate chakra to different degrees and by doing so I can make a shadow of physical thing. It's like pinning them to the ground, only it's all over their body. My father's a lot better at it. He can actually make the shadows take physical form."

"I don't know anything cool like that. Most of my training was concentrated around taijutsu. I know some ninjutsu," Naruto quickly added. "It's just; most of my training was to manipulate chakra in the right amounts. I can set off incinerate tags really close to each other." The word sounded a bit weak even to him.

"Incinerate tags? You ever use explosive ones? They're the same thing, at least in principle."

"Yeah, but not too often. Jiraiya said the explosions would bring too much attention to us."

"Jiraiya?" Shikamaru said, surprised. "You were really trained by the famous Jiraiya?"

Naruto smiled when he heard the shock in Shikamaru's voice. He wasn't sure why the other boy was so surprised, but before he could elaborate, there was an explosion.

Both boys crouched as little rocks hit the ground around them. As the dust cleared, Naruto was trying to see what was going on. The explosion had torn a hole in the mountain. Most of the ground between them and the village was now strewn with rocks. Then he saw someone moving. Before Naruto was aware, he was moving towards the figure, ignoring Shikamaru's cry of, "Wait!"

Naruto had taken 10 steps when he suddenly froze, unable to move.

"That could be the enemy," Shikamaru's voice chastised from behind him.

As suddenly as Naruto have frozen he was free, but he turned to face Shikamaru. "Sorry."

"We have to see who it is first," Shikamaru said running up to Naruto and pushing a bunch of paper into his hands.

Naruto looked down and recognized about a half dozen exploding tags. Then he started after Shikamaru. There were fist sized rocks everywhere, but the figure that had caused Naruto to run was starting to get up. He didn't recognize the person and then Shikamaru stopped suddenly.

Naruto stopped next to him. "You know who it is?"

"Danzo," Shikamaru spat. "I'll hold him still and you put those tags on him."

The dust had mostly settled and the man stood, turning towards the noise. The man was old and one side of his face was bloody. He was naked from the waist up and something was wrong with his arm. Naruto couldn't tell exactly what, though.

Then the man turned and he seemed to look directly at Naruto. The blonde stared back at the man who had a huge effect on his life. The man seemed to stare directly at him until Shikamaru's voice broke through Naruto's daze.

"Go, I can't hold him."

Naruto shook himself and darted forward, channeling chakra to the tags. The man stood there like a statue, but when Naruto was only a few steps away, he could see his muscles straining. Not breaking strike, Naruto spun around to the man's back and slapped the tags on and ran to get clear.

In the back of Naruto head, he remembered Jiraiya telling him that exploding tags had a cumulative effect. How big of an explosion would six make? That was the last thought Naruto had before he was knocked off his feet by the blast wave.

He hit the ground, tumbling end over end before ending up face down with a mouthful of grass. His head hurt, but he was able to struggle to his knees and spit out some grass. Looking back, he didn't see the man anywhere.

"No! That body was mine."

Naruto looked up to see a man running across the field. He had long black hair flying behind him. Jiraiya was close behind. Then his arms gave out and he was face first in the grass again. That wasn't the last thing Naruto remembered that day, but everything else was a fragment. He remembered hearing people arguing as he laid on the ground. He remembered someone looking him over and he remembered a bed. That was it.

* * *

Six Months Later

Naruto turned his face up to the warm shower. He had come to enjoy showers and baths. When he had been at the House there had usually been a line, and at Inari's the water had never stayed warm for very long. Not that the building's water system was perfect. Air seemed to get into the pipes, causing the faucets to spit.

After Danzo's fall, the new Hokage had a condemned building refurbished and fitted out as apartments for the kids who had been at the House. Some had wanted their own apartment while others have chosen to live in small groups. Naruto's apartment was on the top floor, on the far side. His neighbors were Hinata and Hanabi, who still had some issues with their family. The Hyuga clan had not suffered any repercussions for their support of Danzo, but the feeling Naruto got from most of the villagers was that they should keep their distance.

He still wasn't used to living in a village as densely packed as Konoha, although, he was doing better than some of the others. Still, they were getting better. Some of the younger kids were attending the Academy while some of the older kids, like Sakura, were attending special classes. Most of them weren't sure if they wanted to be ninjas or not, but it was something for now. He personally liked his lessons with Jiraiya, although Kiba had been one of those who joined him in his lessons.

Naruto wondered how much longer that would continue. Once Danzo was deposed, Konoha had pulled its strength in words in case of an attack from another village. At least that was the official explanation. Strangely, he was one of the few that knew that had been mostly an excuse. They were sacrificing some of their market share in missions to hopefully relieve some of the hostility that had grown towards Konoha. According to a letter he got from Haku, it was working.

Haku had sent him a few letters and he had tried to respond although it did feel a bit weird. Raiga was a wanted criminal there and Naruto wasn't exactly on friendly terms with the man, but he did like Ranmaru. The strangest thing, though, was Tsunami actually seemed to like Raiga. She and her grandfather had moved to Konoha. It was rare that outsiders got to do that, as Naruto understood it, but they knew more than a few things that the village would prefer to keep quiet. Still, what would happen if they got married? Inari and Ranmaru were friendly with each other. Would they have preferred to be brothers or something else? He shook his head, giving up on trying to figure that out.

"Naruto, I want to share the shower with you. I'm going to be late for the Academy." Konohamaru said as he pulled back the shower curtain.

Naruto stared down at naked boy and smiled. "If you come in like that, you're going to be even more late."

Konohamaru smiled up at him. "I'm not trying to make up time, I'm trying to make the detention worth it."


End file.
